The Boy in the Snow
by RoryWilcox
Summary: What if Mr. Crepsley found Darren as a baby, and raised him in Vampire Mountain? After spending his whole life isolated from the human world, he is finally old enough to venture out into it on his own, but can he handle it? Or will he come running back to the man who had been his only family since before he could remember?
1. Boy in the Snow

**Author's Note: So, this story takes place in a world where there is no Vampaneze Lord or War of Scars, so that means Kurda never betrays the clan so that is why Kurda is a prince!**

 **Also, special thanks to Shadamy22 for the amazing cover art she made! You're a doll! You can find her art shadamy22 on tumblr!**

 **Enjoy!**

It was the end of a day and Larten finished his work for the evening in the storerooms of vampire mountain. When everything was in order, he left, intending to retire to his cell to rest. It had been 7 years since he took over the job as quartermaster from Seba, his former master. Seba had stayed with him the first two years to help him get the hang of the job, but then he left, set on traveling the world once more before seeking out a noble death. Larten, as well as other vampires in the mountain, was sad to see him go, knowing that his departure would be the last he would see of his former mentor.

On Larten's walk back to his room, he suddenly got an urge to walk outside. He didn't know why, or where his sudden burst of energy came from, but he followed the urge regardless. Passing his cell by, he headed towards the tunnels that lead out of the mountain. He passed a few guards on the way, but none stopped or spoke to him. It took ten minutes to crawl his way out into the open.

It was still night, but Larten could tell the sun would be up within the hour. He stood in the cold, taking a moment to adjust to the temperature and brighter light. When his senses cleared enough, he began to walk. He thought of nothing in particular, only focused on the sounds of the wind and crunching snow. It was warmer this time of year: he guessed the temperature was somewhere in the 20s or low 30s. He continued to walk, unbothered by the chilly air. He had just barely reached the edge of the forest when a soft, gurgle noise caught his ear to the left. He stopped, cocked his head, and listened harder. After a moment of silence, he heard a short cry.

Was that a…baby?

He began to move closer to the noise, proceeding cautiously. Suddenly, he heard crying and wailing and was positive about the sound: it _was_ a baby. He walked faster, following the sound. It didn't take long until he stepped into a clearing and found the baby, wrapped tightly in a blanket and laying alone in the snow. It was wailing and trying to kick out of its blanket. Larten looked around, searching for any sign of where the baby came from. There was a set of footsteps leading away from the child, but nothing else. Larten gently lifted the child into his arms and brushed the snow off its blanket. He tucked the still-wailing child inside his cloak for warmth and began to follow the footsteps.

After a few moments, the child was silent. Larten peered inside his cloak to make sure he was okay and was met with a pair of big brown eyes. The child was looking up at him curiously, as if deciding whether or not to be scared of the stranger holding him.

Larten stopped walking and focused on the child. His face was red, and Larten wasn't sure whether it was from the cold or his previous crying. He rocked him back and forth and the child broke into a smile and giggled. He managed to wriggle an arm out of his blanket and reached up towards Larten. He smiled back and let the child grab hold of his finger, being careful not to scratch him with his sharp finger nails. He let the child keep hold on his finger as he tucked him back into his cloak. Then, Larten continued to follow the trail of footsteps.

After a few more minutes of walking, the footsteps vanished. Larten stopped, confused. The footsteps were deep and clear up to this point, and then they simply disappeared. Larten looked around, astonished and confused. There were no trees near enough for someone to have climbed, and nobody in sight. He examined the footsteps more closely. The footprints were small, so Larten thought they probably belonged to a woman. Then, he looked back around, scanning the surrounding area. Where did she go?

He was brought out of his train of thought when the bundle under his cloak started to tremble from cold. The baby whined a bit, but kept hold on Larten's finger. Larten peered in on the mysterious child, tucked him closer to his chest for warmth, then quickly made the trip back to vampire mountain.

It was difficult climbing through some of the tunnels with a child in one arm, but Larten managed. As he got closer to the top and the tunnels started leveling out, he began to rock the child. This made the boy start giggling again. Larten hushed him and turned down the hall where his cell was. He started to wonder again where this baby came from, and what he was going to do with him now.

Larten passed Paris Skyle in the hall, and the prince called out, "Larten! I was just wondering where you-" He stopped and looked down at the bundle in his arms. "Is that a baby?" he asked.

Larten explained, "Yes. I found him alone outside when I went for a walk earlier. I do not know where he came from or how he got here." Quickly, Larten went through his tale, and when he finished, Paris stepped closer to inspect the child.

Paris's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "There shouldn't be any humans anywhere near enough to just leave a child laying in the snow."

"My thoughts exactly," Larten replied, "but after the footsteps ended, I could find no other way to track them."

Paris stared at the boy thoughtfully. After a few moments, he said, "We should discuss this with the other princes. If there are humans around, we can't risk them discovering us. Would you be willing to come to the Hall of Princes now and retell your story?"

Larten nodded. "Aye, sire."

Back in the Hall of Princes, Larten recounted his tale to Mika and Kurda, who listened thoughtfully, both intrigued and skeptical of the boy's mysterious origins. The hall had also filled with many guards and generals that were in the mountain. When word spread that a child was found nearby, everyone was curious.

When Larten finished his tale, Mika said, "We should send out a small group of generals to search the surrounding area where Larten found the child, to check for any signs that humans are nearby."

"Agreed," Kurda said, "We can't run the risk of humans discovering the tunnels if there is a group nearby."

Mika led a group of volunteers out to scour around the mountain for humans. After they left, Kurda asked, "So, what do we do with the child now? I doubt any parents who wanted to care for him would leave him just lying in the snow."

Paris replied, but Larten didn't hear. In his arms, the child shifted and whined. Larten looked down and began rocking the fussing baby back and forth, trying to distract him. The baby reached up towards Larten and again, Larten let the small child grab and play with his finger. Without him realizing, a smile had creeped onto Larten's face as he entertained the boy.

Everyone in the Hall stopped talking and stared at Larten as he rocked and played with the baby. They were shocked. Those who knew Larten had never seen him act this way before. It had been a long time since anyone had sen him actually smile. From the stands, Vanez Blane stepped forward towards the princes. "Sires, I don't think we have to worry about who will take care of the child," he commented with a smirk.

"Larten?" Paris said. Larten looked up and Paris continued, "Do you wish to care for the child?" All eyes were on Larten, waiting for his answer.

Larten looked back down at the giggling boy in his arms. "I…I think I do," he murmured.

"This mountain may not be the best place for a child," Paris pointed out, "He could get lost wandering the tunnels, or find himself in trouble some other way."

"I will keep a close eye on him," Larten replied.

Paris nodded. "If you take full responsibility for him, then I don't see a problem with it. Kurda?"

Kurda replied, "It sounds alright to me. I can't think of any reason why he shouldn't."

Paris nodded. "Then it is decided," he concluded, "Larten will take care of the child."

Mika and the generals gathered back into the Hall of Princes and Mika reported no sign of humans anywhere around the mountain. "Not even a lingering scent of anything unusual," he commented. Paris nodded and filled him in quickly on what he missed. When he said that Larten offered to care for the child, Mika looked surprised, but said nothing to object.

Paris adjourned the meeting, and all the vampires retired to their coffins for the day. Kurda walked up to Larten, who was still rocking the boy in his arms.

"What will his name be?" he asked Larten.

Larten looked down at the baby. He hadn't thought about that. "I do not know," he said honestly.

It was then that Kurda noticed something tangled in the boy's blanket. "What is that?" he asked, and reached for the mysterious object. What he pulled out was a small pendant with some writing carved into the wood.

"What does it say?" Larten asked, peering over to look at it, even though he knew he couldn't read it.

"'His name is Darren.'" Kurda read, then he chuckled. "Well that answers that question!"

Kurda bid him and the child goodnight, then went off to his cell. Larten began walking to his own as well.

Darren, he thought. He smiled back down at the boy, who had already started to drift off to sleep in his arms. When he got to his room, he lay down in his coffin with Darren, making a mental note to find him a decent place to sleep tomorrow. With the sleeping child curled against his chest, Larten quickly followed Darren's lead and slept.


	2. Nightmares

The coming months were an adjustment for Larten. Word had spread quickly about a human child being found and raised in the mountain, causing Darren to become a bit of a celebrity. Many had decided to make the trek out to the mountain to see him for themselves. Gavner in particular grew quite fond of Darren, always bringing the boy gifts whenever he would come to give reports to the Princes. The first time Gavner visited, he had knocked on Larten's entryway, gaining the vampire's attention.

"Gavner!" Larten boomed. He went over and slapped his friend's back, smiling widely.

Gavner returned the smile. "Hello Larten."

"I did not know you would be coming," Larten said.

Gavner replied, "Technically, I'm not supposed to be. I'm not here on official general business."

Larten was about to ask about that when, from behind him, Darren started to cry. Larten turned and went to where he had laid Darren in his coffin. He picked up the wailing child and began rocking him.

Gavner stepped forward hesitantly. "Is that the child everyone is talking about?" he asked, "The boy in the snow?"

"Is that what they are calling him?" Larten asked, rolling his eyes. In his arms, Darren had stopped wailing and looked up at Larten, seeming to just be happy being held. He reached up with his hand and gripped part of Larten's cloak. Larten smiled down at the boy, then stroked his head.

Gavner was shocked. He had never seen this side of the grouchy, orange-haired vampire before. He had only ever come off as stiff and reclusive to him, but now, Gavner saw that there was a tenderer side to him, and wondered why Larten had never shown it more often.

When Larten looked back up at Gavner, he noticed Gavner staring at him with his head cocked to the side and a raised brow. "What are you looking at?" Larten barked.

Gavner cleared his throat awkwardly "Nothing," he said. "Sorry."

Things were silent for a moment, then Gavner asked curiously, "Where does he sleep?"

Larten sighed, "That is the one thing I cannot figure out. We have nothing that would be suitable for a child this small, so, he has been sleeping in my coffin with me."

"Oh, so you're willing to share a coffin with him?" Gavner retorted sarcastically.

"Darren does not snore," Larten deadpanned in response, causing Gavner to grumble under his breath.

"So why have you come then?" Larten asked.

"Oh!" Gavner remembered. He began rummaging through the bag he had slung over his shoulder. "I ran into Evanna a few months back, and she told me to bring this to you as soon as I could." He pulled out a box no larger than his fist. "She said you would need it."

Larten looked at the box in Gavner's hands, examining it closely. "What is in it?" he asked.

"I haven't opened it," Gavner said, "Evanna said you have to."

"Hold Darren," Larten said, and Gavner set down the box. Larten gently placed him in Gavner's arms and Darren stared at Gavner with his big brown eyes. Gavner began to rock the boy from side to side and turned his attention to Larten as he used his nails to cut the seal and opened the box. As soon as he did, the box began to shift and expand. Larten had seen Evanna's magic before, so he looked on with curiosity, but no surprise. However, Gavner was unfamiliar with the extent of Evanna's powers, and his jaw dropped.

The box grew four legs and slowly raised up while the box itself had shifted into a cradle. When it was done, there was a crib standing in the center of the room.

"That…But...it…." Gavner continued to gabble and stutter. Larten only smiled, shaking his head slightly.

"Of course," he whispered, turning his attention back to the cot. He wasn't surprised the witch would show such a gesture. Over the years, she had gifted him with a variety of convenient appliances, such as collapsible pots, bowls, and knives. However, this was more personal. There were engravings along the sides, depicting various dragons flying or laying on the ground. The trim along the crib was intricately carved and there was even a mobile hanging over the top. Evanna had never put this much work into one of Larten's presents before, and Larten made a mental note to visit her in the coming years to thank her.

When Gavner's shock wore off, he found his words once again. "She gave this to me months ago. You've only had Darren for a few weeks. How could she know?"

"Gavner," Larten chided, "You know of Evanna's abilities to foresee the future. This should not be surprising."

Gavner sighed and shuddered, "That always make me feel uneasy. I'd hate knowing the future."

In Gavner's arms, Darren gurgled and babbled. Larten took him back in his arms, but Darren continued to stare at Gavner and brought his hands to his mouth. Gavner smiled, making the baby giggle, and Larten could see Gavner's expression soften.  
Larten walked Darren over to the cot and held him next to the mobile. Darren reached out and grabbed one of the dangling stars. The hanging figures twirled and softly clinked as they touched. Darren smiled and kicked his legs happily. Larten and Gavner both smiled down at him as he continued to swat at the mobile figures.

Since then, Gavner came and went from the mountain every few months on general business, always bringing back gifts for Darren and Larten. He's brought things like clothes and toys, and Darren also had gotten a lot more popular among vampires. They seemed to all flood in to meet Darren and probe Larten with the same questions: Where did he come from? How did he get here? Why was he left? What happened to his parents? On, and on, and on… Larten quickly grew tired of it and became irritated by any vampire who asked about Darren's origins. Larten began turning away vampires with their questions, refusing to answer any and all inquiries.

Even Seba had returned, visiting for a few months to study Darren. He was one Larten did not turn away and answered his former master's questions patiently and thoroughly.

"I must say," Seba had said his first night back, "I could hardly believe the news when Paris told me."

The two of them were seated in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, with Darren seated on Larten's lap. It had been 6 months since Larten found Darren in the snow, and he guessed that Darren was somewhere around 9 months' old.

"I know," Larten replied, "It is very mysterious. We still have no idea where he came from." As he spoke, Darren began to squirm and tried sliding off Larten's lap. Larten let him, standing Darren between his legs. He grabbed Darren's hands and bounced him up and down, a game that Darren loved. Darren giggled and pushed down with his feet whenever he touched the ground.

"I was talking about you," Seba corrected.

Larten looked at his former master in confusion. Seba only laughed. "Larten," he explained, speaking as if it were obvious, "you have refused for years to ever even take on an _assistant_ , so I find it very surprising that you would so willingly take on the role of a parent to a child." Seba looked down at Darren, still enjoying being lifted up and down. "Though you seem to be taking to fatherhood quite well."

Larten didn't know how he felt about the word father being used in reference to him. Of course, he cared for Darren and he definitely wanted to consider Darren as his son, but the boy's origins gave Larten pause. It unsettled him not knowing where Darren came from. The mystery left him with just a sliver of paranoia and a deep instinctual dread-like if he got too close to the child, it would only end in disaster. There was an aura of danger surrounding the child, one that Larten had been trained to avoid, but there was a bigger part of him that felt inclined to protect and care for him. He had another strong inclination that if he didn't, then something bad would befall on the boy of snow.

Larten had pushed those looming thoughts aside over the coming months, eventually forgetting them. His focus was placed solely on Darren and his upbringing. While Seba stayed in Vampire Mountain, he spent a lot of time watching Darren while Larten was busy working. He wanted to study Darren a little more closely, hoping he'd find out more about who the boy was. Larten was relieved to be able to leave Darren with Seba, so he could focus only on his duties without worrying about Darren's crying or crawling around.

Time seemed to fly by the following few months. Seba told Larten of his decision to stick around for a few more years, claiming to want to study Darren further, but Larten had a sneaking suspicion that Seba had grown just as fond of Darren as Gavner had when they first met. Regardless, Larten was glad to have the extra help. Between working in the storerooms all night, and soothing Darren's crying most of the day, Larten found very little time to rest.

Larten had been in his quarters, getting ready to lay in his coffin for a few hours, hoping to get more sleep than he had recently. He fed Darren, laid him in his crib, and turned the overhead mobile to keep him occupied until he hopefully drifted off to sleep. It was as he turned around that he heard Darren's first word:

"Red."

Larten turned back around and leaned over the crib. As he gazed down at the 1-year-old, he saw that Darren had his red blanket-Gavner's most recent gift-gripped in his hands and brought it to his mouth. His eyes focused on Larten and he smiled. Larten smiled back. Darren had started trying to imitate Larten's speech, occasionally making similar sounds, so he had begun trying to teach Darren simple words. And Seba had begun to read stories to him. It had only been a few days and Larten hadn't been expecting Darren to learn so quickly.

Darren took the blanket out of his mouth and shook it around. "Red," he said again.

Smiling wide, Larten reached down and picked Darren up. "Very good," he complimented. Larten bounced Darren up and down and Darren giggled, dropping the blanket.

After that, Darren began talking a lot more, and by the time he was 3, he could speak in full sentences, but he had started to outgrow his crib. So, Larten had brought up a particularly small coffin for Darren to sleep in, but when he tried getting Darren to sleep in it, it had not gone well. The first night, after he and Darren had laid down and Larten had almost fallen asleep, he heard shuffling coming from outside his own coffin. The shuffling got closer until it was right outside and then stopped. He knew Darren was standing right next to his coffin. Slowly, he lifted the lid and was immediately met with a pair of wide, scared eyes.

"Darren," Larten sighed, "What is wrong?"

Darren was holding his red blanket-it had become his favorite- up so it was covering his mouth. Larten sat up, opening his coffin all the way. Darren looked back to his coffin and pointed. He mumbled something fearfully into his blanket, but Larten couldn't make out what he said, but he could guess.

"You do not need to be afraid of your coffin," Larten reasoned with the toddler, but Darren took no comfort. He continued to fearfully stare at his coffin.

Larten sighed and climbed out of his own coffin and placed a hand on Darren's shoulder, leading him back to his. As they got closer, Darren cried out and hid his face in Larten's leg, Larten looked down at the boy in confusion. He did not know what to do. If Darren did not want to sleep in a coffin and was too big for his crib, then what would Larten do with him?

He crouched down, so he could speak eye level with Darren, who was still clinging closely to Larten's leg. He pulled Darren away, but kept his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Darren," Larten said, trying to stay patient, "You must sleep somewhere."

Darren brought his blanket back up to mouth and mumbled again. This time, Larten could make out a very quiet and muffled "Can I sleep with you?"

Larten sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine," he said, "Very well." Larten lead them both back to his coffin and Larten climbed in, Darren eagerly following. Once they were both settled in, Larten reached up to close the lid. As he did, Darren cried out, making Larten stop. He lowered his arm and laid back down. Darren, now satisfied, snuggled closer to Larten's chest and the pair swiftly fell asleep.

The following days were long for Larten. Darren took to sleeping in Larten's coffin with him, and Larten let him because he could not think of anywhere else for Darren to go. It got worse when Darren started having nightmares. He'd shift around in his sleep all night and wake up screaming and crying. By the fifth day of this, Larten was exhausted.

After waking up, he left Darren with Seba, who noticed how tired his former assistant looked. As Larten turned to leave, Seba commented, "Long day?"

Larten sighed. "I have not been getting much sleep," he groaned, "It is Darren. He has been having nightmares every night for the past few days. Most days he wakes up screaming and crying. Even when he does not, his constant shifting keeps me up."

"What do you mean?" Seba asked curiously.

"He did not take kindly to the coffin I gave him, so he has been sleeping with me in mine." Larten rubbed his eyes and groaned.

"Really?" Seba said. Larten could not see him, but he could tell Seba was smirking.

"He is terrified of the thing!" Larten explained. "Now I do not know where to put him. He is too big to sleep in his crib anymore and if he will not sleep in a coffin…" Larten let his sentence trail off as he yawned.

"Why not give him a hammock?" Seba suggested.

Larten looked at the old vampire in confusion. "A hammock?"

"Aye," Seba answered, "We have them in the back of the storeroom. They mostly end up going unused because most vampires prefer a coffin, but we do have them. Maybe it would be better suited for him."

They looked over at Darren, who was seated on the floor had begun playing with the building blocks Gavner had given him 6 months back.

"I will have to look for one," Larten said, turning his attention back to Seba, "How did I not know about them before?"

Seba shrugged, "We have not had a vampire request a hammock for years. Out of sight, out of mind."

Larten nodded.

"As for the boy's nightmares," Seba continued, "they will most likely pass. They are common for children his age. I would not let it worry you."

After leaving, Larten went to the storerooms and found a small box of hammocks tucked away behind the coffins. He pulled one out and set it aside for him to take back with him later then set to work on his daily duties.

At the end of the night, before checking on Darren and Seba, Larten went back to his quarters and switched out Darren's coffin for the hammock. He went back to Seba's quarters, where he found Seba sitting on the ground next to Darren, reading him one of the many stories he remembered Seba reading to him when he was his assistant. As Darren saw Larten come inside, he cried out excitedly, "Papa!"

He raced forward to give Larten a hug, and Larten picked him up, smiling wide. "Hello Darren! Have you had a nice day?"

Darren nodded eagerly, then gasped like he was remembering something, "Oh! Look what I made today!"

Larten let him down and followed the child to where he had been playing. Darren rummaged through the short pile of papers and markers until he found the one he was looking for, then held it for Larten to see. In Darren's hands was a crude drawing meant to depict him, Larten, and Seba together. Larten took the drawing in his hand and smiled. "This is very nice," he praised, and Darren beamed.

Darren then proceeded to show Larten all the drawings he did that day and by the end, Larten had the entire stack in his hands. As Darren passed him picture after picture, Larten continued to compliment the talentless but proud child. He spent the next few minutes admiring Darren's crude re-creations of various vampires he knew. He saw drawings of Paris, Kurda, Vanez, and many others in the mountain, but one particular drawing caught Larten's eye because this picture wasn't happy or depicting any vampire.

"Darren," he said, "what is this?" On the page in his hand was a figure resembling closely to a man, but with two white holes for eyes and razor sharp teeth.

Darren looked at the drawing fearfully, and Larten guessed, "Is this the monster from your nightmares?"

Darren nodded. Larten looked back down at the picture with curiosity. Darren often spoke of his nightmares, always claiming that the "bad man" was coming to take him away. Larten always assured Darren that he would not let anyone take him away, but he knew Darren was still terrified. Now he could get a closer look at who this mysterious monster man was, and this new insight brought a chill down Larten's spine. Vampires believed there was always hidden truth behind dreams and that if you could find the meaning behind them, it would give a new insight to your life.

Larten thought that perhaps there was some truth behind Darren's fear of being taken away when he saw what the shadowed figure in Darren's drawing was holding:

A red, heart-shaped watch.


	3. First Council

"What's the festival going to be like?" Darren asked Seba yet again during one of their reading lessons. He was now 8 years old and vampires were expected to start arriving for Council within two months. Since hearing about it, Darren had been asking the same question over and over.

Seba replied patiently, "Darren, I do believe that Larten and I have already answered that question for you, several times."

"I know," Darren replied, "but I want to know more. Please?"

Seba put down the book that they had been reading and began the tale he had told the boy numerous times before, "The Festival of the Undead is a long-standing tradition that occurs every twelve years during Council. You remember what the Council is for, do you not?"

Darren nodded. Seba continued,

"During each Council, there is a break of 3 days and nights in which no official council business can take place. During this time, vampires from all over the world come to partake in the celebrations. We gather together to catch up with friends, tell stories of our travels, and challenge each other. There are games, balls and no official vampire business can be discussed."

"How many people will show up?" Darren asked

"The vampires' names are carved into a stone in the Hall of Osca Velm. Every Council there are hundreds of vampires who show up, but I have never made an exact count."

"Hundreds?!" Darren gasped, not being able to imagine that many people in one place. "And they all stay here?"

"Of course," Seba explained, "Where else would they stay?"

Darren smiled, excited. Council could not get there fast enough.

"Come," Seba said sternly, opening up the book they had been reading, "Enough questions. We must continue your studies."

As the days passed, Darren got more and more excited. Although he knew he could not participate in any of the games or challenges-Larten told him he wasn't allowed to-he was eager to be around other vampires. As the child grew older, he found himself getting lonely since he started to spend more days on his own. Larten was always busy with his duties as quartermaster, getting less than 3 hours of sleep each day as Council approached. That meant he usually did not crawl into his coffin until after Darren had already fallen asleep. Darren missed spending time with his adopted father since sometimes he would go days without seeing him.

Seba had explained to him when Darren started to complain about Larten getting busier and no longer seeming to have time for the young child anymore,

"A lot of pressure is always put on the quartermaster during these times. He has many responsibilities and needs to be many places at once." Darren still looked disappointed, so Seba added, "Do not let this worry you. Larten still cares for you dearly. As soon as things calm down, everything will be as it was."

"Is everyone this busy before Council?" Darren asked.

"Everyone does their part," was all Seba said.

Still, Darren felt lonely without Larten around. Seba would spend a lot of time with him though, since Darren was still not allowed to wander the halls alone yet. During their days spent together, they would take walks through the halls and sometimes even explore some of the unmarked ones. Seba would also give Darren lessons in things like reading, writing, and life in the human world.

A few years earlier, Gavner had started bringing back postcards along with his other gifts for Darren. These would have pictures of places all over the world where Gavner traveled and Darren soon became obsessed with them. He asked that Gavner bring him more and kept them all in a box under his hammock. He would look at them constantly, so Larten and Seba began teaching him about life outside vampire mountain. Larten told him that when he grew older, he could leave vampire mountain to travel and have his own adventures. Larten always tried to make sure that the boy felt like he had options in life, and was pleased when he started to show an interest in travel.

When vampires began to arrive at the Mountain, Gavner was one of the first. He had recently completed a mission a mere few weeks away from the mountain, so he came among the first 50. Upon arriving, he helped himself to some bat broth and stale bread in the Hall of Khledon Lurt and enjoyed the silence and emptiness. Normally, he hated traveling alone, but he had to spend a lot of time in a nearby city with many other vampires, settling a dispute between a group of vampires and vampaneze, so he was glad to be back in a calm atmosphere and by himself. That silence was short-lived however when he heard two pairs of footsteps enter the Hall.

"Gavner!" a familiar voice called. He turned around just in time to see Darren fling himself at him and wrap his arms around the General's neck. Gavner cried out in shock, then laughed. He caught the boy and hugged him back. When they pulled apart, Gavner looked up at who Darren was with.

"Good to see you again Seba," he greeted.

"Always a pleasure," Seba replied pleasantly. "I was not expecting you so soon."

"I was dealing with business nearby," Gavner explained, "So I figured I would come early and help with preparations."

Seba smirked, "I am sure Larten will be happy for the help. This is his first Council as quartermaster."

"Where did you go this time?" Darren asked excitedly, hoping Gavner had new stories and a new postcard for him.

Gavner reached in his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper with a shining picture on one side, depicting a grand and colorful castle-like building surrounded by falling snow. Darren took the postcard in his hands and admired it closely.

"That," Gavner explained, "is Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. I was there a few months ago, passing through on my way to Finland. Add this to your collection."

"Wow! Thanks!" Darren ran off to put this postcard with his others, leaving Seba and Gavner behind.

The Festival started like any other before. It started with the ringing of a gong and the roll call of all the vampires who had perished since the last Council. As soon as that was over and the Princes announced the start of the festivities, the Hall erupted with cheers and shouts. Vampires were racing out of the Hall of Stahrvos Glen, some too eager to wait until they reached the gaming halls and threw down in wrestling matches where they were. If it weren't for Darren on his shoulders and his new status, Larten knew he probably would have acted just as unhinged as the rest of the lot. Larten had anticipated the mayhem and decided it would be safest to have Darren sit on his shoulders so he wouldn't be trampled. As the chaos died down, he stayed put, watching the madness until there was only him, Darren, and the Princes left in the immense Hall of Gathering.

"Wow!" Darren exclaimed. Larten felt Darren's hands on top of his head, gripping his crop of orange hair. "That was crazy!"

"This festival always turns even our finest vampires into fools," Kurda commented, but his voice was wasn't disapproving. He had a smirk on his face and a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. Even the peaceful prince wasn't immune to enjoying three days and nights of duels and drinking.

The Princes left and Larten lifted Darren off his shoulders. When he was on the ground, he looked up at Larten curiously.

"Is everyone in the gaming halls?" he asked.

"Aye," Larten answered, "To duel and challenge each other until they cannot fight anymore."

Darren beamed. "Can we go watch?"

Larten smiled down at the boy, then ruffled his hair. "Of course," he said, "but stay close. You do not want to get lost this type of crowd. Trust me."

Larten had been worried about having Darren at the Festival of the Undead. He knew no vampire would challenge the boy-vampires only took pride in fighting when they were dueling a worthy opponent-but Darren had always been small for his age and Larten worried he may wind up getting trampled or caught between two vampires. A vampire could easily kill a child like Darren without even realizing it, so Larten made sure to keep Darren close and would swiftly lift Darren out of the way when two wrestling vampires would get too close and almost crush him. There three close calls within the first hour and Larten was starting to get stressed.

Larten got challenged a few times, but not as much as he did when he was a General. During his fights, Darren would stand aside and watch, fascinated despite not being able to follow most of their rapid movements. It was some type of hand-to-hand fighting that Darren didn't know the name of, but by the look of it, Larten was very good at it. He moved faster than even his opponents could follow. After he beat yet another opponent, swatting him down in a matter of seconds like he was a fly, Larten made his way back to Darren, panting slightly.

"How did you do that?!" Darren exclaimed.

Larten smiled down at the boy. "I have had years of practice. They did not call me Quicksilver for nothing."

Darren looked confused and was about to ask what that meant when Gavner appeared, looking gleeful as ever. He ruffled Darren's hair and spoke to Larten, "I just got through five wrestling matches in a row and I haven't gotten so much as a scratch. How have you been fairing?"

"Not bad," Larten replied with a smile.

Gavner looked down at Darren. "Has he been showing off to you?" he asked.

Darren replied excitedly, "It was so cool! He was doing this karate thing and he was _so fast_! He was like a blur and you should have seen the other vampires he was fighting! One of them was, like, this big," he raised one hand above him as high as he could and stood on his tip-toes, "and Dad had him beat in a few _seconds_!"

Gavner laughed as Darren continued to recount Gavner with stories Larten's challenges, but he noticed that Larten had stopped listening. Gavner followed his gaze across the gaming hall to the bars, where Arra Sails was competing on the bars, maintaining her undefeated streak. Larten had a small smile on his face as he watched her.

Gavner turned his attention back to Darren just in time to sweep him out of the way of a vampire who had stumbled backward and almost crushed him. Gavner glared at the vampire, Darren still scooped up in one arm.

As the vampire got up and left, Larten turned back towards the pair. Across the Hall, Arra had finished off her last opponent and jumped off the bars.

"Gavner," Larten said as Gavner put Darren back down, "would you mind looking after Darren for a while? There is someone I would like to talk to."

Gavner smiled at him slyly. "Sure thing!"

Larten walked off to talk to Arra, and Gavner looked down at Darren. "Are you getting hungry yet, kiddo?"

Darren nodded.

"Then let's go." With that, Gavner let Darren out of the gaming halls.

Larten wound through the crowd of vampires swiftly. When he made it to the bars, he found Arra sitting on one of the lower bars, carving a design into her staff with a knife.

"Arra Sails," Larten greeted warmly.

She looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Well," she replied, "if it isn't our quartermaster. Congratulations, by the way."

Larten smiled. "Thank you," he said, "You are looking lovely as ever."

If she was at all flattered by Larten's words, her face didn't show it. "Seba told me how impressed he was that you managed to organize Council so smoothly this year."

Larten was shocked. He felt like a complete mess trying to get everything in order, but it made him happy that his former master was proud of him.

Arra added with a smirk, "I've also heard you got soft."

Larten's eyebrows furrowed, and he quickly became enraged. "Who said that?!" he demanded.

Arra laughed and rolled her eyes. "No one had to. I knew as soon as I heard the stories of the child: 'the boy in the snow'. _You,_ Larten Crepsley, the top General in his field, who even managed to scare off the Nazis has become…" she pouted and her voice became baby-like, "nurturing."

"Stop," he snapped, "I have not gotten soft. I can still beat you at any game you choose. I can end your winning streak on the bars."

Arra raised her eyebrow and leaned in closer. "You really think so? You still have yet to prove that to me. Are we ever going to have our match on the bars?"

"Perhaps," Larten replied, his smile returning. "All you have to do is challenge me." He looked at her expectantly, but she turned up her nose at him.

"Not tonight," she said, and hopped off the bars. "I've finished for the night on the bars, but come back to me tomorrow."

"Why would I do that?" Larten asked, teasing.

Arra twirled her staff and held it behind her shoulders. "Because tomorrow I may challenge you," she replied, "Seek me out."

She began to walk past him and he asked, "What if I do not?"

"You will!" she shouted back. She didn't turn around to look at him, just walked away.

Larten smiled.

The next night was filled with balls and more games. Everyone was still dressed in their nicest clothes, but most were torn and bloody at this point. At the beginning of the first ball, everyone threw their heads up and howled like wild wolves. When the next vampire was given the title, "of the howl"-it was a large man with tattoos all the way up one arm and a large scar over one of his eyes, causing it to always be partially shut-the music and the dancing began.

There were two large ballrooms that everyone somehow managed to squeeze into. They were all doing a dance Darren didn't know how to do, so he stood off the side and watched. All around him, vampires were dancing, cheering, and shouting. It was very loud, and Darren started to get anxious since he was only ever used to the quiet, slow life the mountain usually provided. Spotting the end of the hall, he ducked down and rushed to the exit.

Darren wound through the crowds of people easily. Being much smaller than everyone at Council, he would squeeze passed people and sometimes duck between people's legs, usually catching them by surprise. When Darren had escaped, he set off towards his and Larten's room. As he walked alone, tracing cracks in the walls with his finger, he heard someone's voice speak from behind him,

"Careful," it spoke, making Darren jump. "You could get lost wandering these halls by yourself."

When Darren turned around, he met eyes with a pair of eyes he had only seen in his worst nightmares. The eyes were calm and kind, but Darren knew better than to give into them. In his dreams, this man was always monstrous. His own eyes widened fearfully, and he felt frozen, stuck in the spot he stood. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"My name is Desmond Tiny. Mind if I walk with you?" the man asked with a pleasant smile and checking the heart shaped watch in his pocket.


	4. Unewelcome Visitor

The mountain was alive with the sounds of celebratory vampires, drinking and dancing at the festival's traditional ball. Larten spent most of his evening with Seba while Darren was off with Gavner.

The dances started as they usually did, and Seba and Larten danced alongside everyone else. After the first song was over, Seba approached Larten and pulled him aside. They walked out of the ballroom and strolled through the near empty halls.

"Is everything alright?" Larten asked, concerned by the solemn look on his mentor's face.

Seba nodded and spoke calmly, "I have decided to leave Vampire Mountain after Council ends."

Larten looked at his former master sadly, knowing that he intended to leave without return.

"I never intended to return at all after you took on my position," he continued, "I only retired so I could see the world one final time before I die, but I wanted to assist you after learning about Darren. Now that he is getting older, I think it is time I depart before time gets away from me more."

Larten was shocked. "You stayed because of me?"

"Of course I did," Seba replied, "Why else?"

Larten smiled. "I thought you had grown fond of Darren and stayed for his sake."

"I do care for Darren," Seba said, "But I was more interested in helping you."

"Darren will be sad to see you go." Larten paused, then added, "So will I."

"You can manage without me," Seba replied.

"I am feeling more confident about performing my duties," Larten agreed, "And I want to thank you for all you have done since returning. I do not know what I would have done without your help."

"You would have figured it out," Seba said, "I believe that you could have managed just fine without me."

"Have you told Darren of your plans to leave?" Larten asked.

"Not yet.I will find time tonight to talk to him," Seba said, then continued, "He is growing to be a fine young man," Seba commented, "I'd hoped I would stay alive long enough to see who he turns into, but destiny has other plans for me." Seba stopped walking. "My time is running out."

They stood where they were, and Seba stretched, wincing as he put one hand on his lower back. "I am not the young man I used to be," he said, "but you do not wish to hear an old man gripe. Let's head back to the festivities." He winked, then lead them back to the ballrooms.

After spending several hours dancing and enjoying the music, Larten decided to have a meal and some ale in the hall of Khledon Lurt. As he was leaving the ballroom, he ran into Arra and they decided to go to the dining hall together.

"So," Arra started, "where is the kid?"

"His name is Darren," Larten replied, "and he is with Gavner."

Arra nodded. "Good," she said, "I wouldn't be with you now if he was with you."

"You do not wish to meet him?" Larten asked.

Arra made a sour face. "I have no patience for children," she retorted. "I don't know how you manage it."

Larten chuckled and let that matter rest. He wasn't surprised by Arra's feelings towards children. When female vampires are blooded, they know that they will never be able to bear children. So, like most other women of the clan, Arra never wanted kids at all.

After they ate, they stayed in the Hall to catch up on each other's lives and speak of days since passed.

.

Darren recovered from his shock and bolted in the opposite direction. He ran as fast as he could through the halls and looked for Larten. He found him in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, talking with another vampire that Darren didn't know. The balls were over by this point and vampires were back to games and challenges. Larten didn't notice Darren running towards him until he felt something clinging to his side. He looked down at Darren, who had his face buried in Larten's cloak.

"Darren?"

He didn't look up. He only hugged Larten tighter as tears started to flow and he was sobbing fearfully into Larten's side. Arra rolled her eyes, but Larten ignored her.

"What is the matter with you?" Larten asked, growing concerned. Darren felt a hand on his shoulder and as Larten was about to pry Darren away from him, a stout man in a yellow suit walked into the hall. He was accompanied by two shorter, hooded figures on either side of him. Every vampire in the room froze, including Larten.

Mr. Tiny walked straight over to Larten and Arra. "Larten," he greeted, then turned to the other vampire. "Arra."

"Hello Mr. Tiny," she said stiffly.

Next to Larten, Darren had moved behind him and covered himself with Larten's cloak. Now, only Darren's feet were visible. Larten could feel the child grip his side tightly.

Larten ignored Darren and spoke with Mr. Tiny, straining to make his voice sound casual. "Mr. Tiny," he said, "to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I'm just passing through," Mr. Tiny said, picking at something under his nail. "I have some time before an earthquake will hit this island and completely devastate the colony there. It is going to be glorious." His eyes glowed evilly, making anyone who viewed them uneasy. He continued, "So, I just wanted to check in on the vampires."

"Check in?" Larten repeated, but Mr. Tiny continued,

"Don't worry. I know the rules regarding discussing 'official business' during this ridiculous festival of yours, and I have no intention of interrupting anything. You will not even notice I am here." He peered around Larten and looked at Darren, who didn't detach himself from his father's side. Smirking, he looked back up at Larten. "I will not be too long here. I will be leaving in 2 days."

"You are…" Larten hesitated, "staying?"

Mr. Tiny nodded. "For the time being. I know it is short notice, but it wouldn't be too much trouble getting me a room, would it?"

Under his cloak, Larten felt Darren start to tremble. When he replied, his voice started to lose its' composure, "Of course not. I will see right to it." He nodded curtly and swiftly turned to leave, guiding Darren to come with him by placing a hand on his back.

"Oh, and Larten," Mr. Tiny called him back as the pair reached the door. Larten turned around, keeping one hand on Darren's shoulder. "We must find time to talk about the child," he finished, meeting eyes with Darren. "I find him _very_ interesting." The evil glint reappeared in Mr. Tiny's eyes and Larten felt a twinge of worry for Darren.

Darren felt Larten's grip on his shoulder tighten. Larten stayed silent and pushed Darren out of the hall, following close behind. As soon as they left the hall, Larten rushed Darren through the tunnels by his hand. As they worked their way quickly through the halls, Darren started asking questions,

"Dad," Darren said while Larten pulled him ahead by his hand, "what was the bad man doing here? I thought he wasn't real! And how do you know each other? Are you _friends?!_ And why-"

"Darren, please!" Larten cut him off roughly. They turned the corner into the hall where Darren and Larten's room was and went inside. As they were walking, Larten had already sent a telepathic message to Gavner instructing him to meet him in his room, so they were only there for a few seconds before Gavner came in.

"What's going on?" he immediately asked.

"I need you to watch Darren for me," Larten said. He had already started to leave the room as Gavner nodded. He sensed the seriousness in Larten's voice and didn't ask any questions-he would find out what this was about later.

"Can't I stay with you?" Darren asked, clearly still shaken by Mr. Tiny's presence.

Larten leant down and put a hand on Darren's shoulder. "I will be back as soon as I can. Gavner is going to stay with you until I get back, alright?" He straightened out and finished, "First, I must prepare a room for our new guest."

"New guest?" Gavner asked, unable to help himself.

Larten stared at Gavner seriously. "Mr. Tiny is here."

Gavner's eyes widened, first in shock, then in realization. "And he's staying?!" he blurted.

Larten sighed. "Just watch Darren for me, please? I will be back soon." Then he left.

Word of Tiny's appearance spread quickly. Everyone was in a frenzy. The games stopped and everyone searched for the Princes to give them answers. Mika was sitting against the wall of one of the gaming halls, recovering after a particularly brutal fight against one of the clan's best Generals, when a vampire he remembered being named Yanish approached him.

"Sire," he said, alerting the Prince with the concern in his voice, "have you heard?"

"What is going on?" Mika asked.

"Desmond Tiny is here." His voice lowered as he said the name, as if afraid to speak it. "And there is a rumor that he requested to stay here."

Mika jumped up immediately. "What do you mean, 'stay'?"

"I don't know Sire," Yanish said, "All I heard was he asked Larten Crepsley to prepare him a room."

Mika nodded, then left the gaming hall, in search for his fellow Princes and Larten Crepsley.

Larten ran into Seba on his search for the Princes. Seba approached him with concern and confusion written all over his face. "Is it true?" he asked, "Mr. Tiny wants to stay here?"

Larten nodded. "He asked me for a room." He hesitated before continuing, "He also seems to be interested in Darren."

Seba's expression hardened. "Desmond Tiny showing an interest in anyone is never a good thing."

"I know," Larten replied.

"Where is Darren now?" Seba asked.

"In my room with Gavner," Larten replied, "I need to alert the Princes of Mr. Tiny's arrival before the rumors get out of hand."

"I will inform the Princes," Seba said, "You should focus on getting a room ready for Mr. Tiny. Do not keep that man waiting."

Larten nodded, and rushed to the storerooms to grab a coffin.

It didn't take long to set up a room for Mr. Tiny. He brought up a coffin in a room that was farthest from his and Darren's. As he was finishing up, Desmond walked in.

"There are some things I wish to discuss with you. Would you join me for a walk?" he requested.

Larten nodded. "Of course," he said pleasantly.

As the pair left the room, Larten sent a quick telepathic message to Gavner, asking him to watch Darren longer. They began walking towards the edge of the mountain and Mr. Tiny spoke, "You seem to be doing very well for yourself."

"Thank you," Larten responded tensely, "I am."

"And you are pleased with the decisions you've made?"

Larten's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Tiny shrugged, a sly smile creeping onto his face. "Taking over as quartermaster, being stuck in here all the time. I remember when these stone walls made you feel crazy with boredom."

Larten could tell Mr. Tiny was baiting him, but he knew better than to fall for it. "That is all behind me now," he said certainly, "I am dedicated to the clan completely."

Mr. Tiny frowned, clearly hoping to get more of a reaction from the vampire.

"You've gotten boring," he commented dryly.

Larten squinted suspiciously. "What did you wish to discuss with me?" he asked bluntly.

Mr. Tiny rolled his eyes. "Always to point, aren't you?" He suddenly grew very serious. "The child, then," he stated.

"Who is he?" Larten immediately asked. He had been worried about Mr. Tiny growing an interest in Darren for the past few years. Darren's origins were always a mystery, but Larten sensed that Mr. Tiny knew what they were, and was fairly confident that it wasn't good. It wasn't until he found out about Mr. Tiny being in Darren's nightmares that he suspected that Mr. Tiny was already involved. Larten was certain that Mr. Tiny knew where Darren came from and he suspected that Mr. Tiny may have even had something to do with Darren's suddenly appearance.

Mr. Tiny ignored Larten's question and said simply, "are you planning on blooding him?"

Larten answered hesitantly, "I was going to leave that choice up to him. He could become a vampire, or he could venture out and join the human world."

They reached the outskirts of the mountain. Larten hadn't noticed how far they had walked until he felt the rush of cold wind hitting his face.

"Where did Darren come from?" Larten asked.

"You will find out," Mr. Tiny said, then added mysteriously, "if everything goes to plan."

Mr. Tiny turned to head back into the mountain and Larten called him back. "What are your plans for Darren?" He wasn't able to keep the worry out of his voice.

Mr. Tiny stopped, but didn't turn around. When he didn't speak, Larten stepped closer. He felt worry for Darren and rage for the stout man in the yellow suit.

"You want him for something." It wasn't a question, and Larten was ready to stop Mr. Tiny if he tried to walk away before answering him.

When Mr. Tiny finally spoke, it was with such a sweet tone that someone who wasn't familiar with Desmond Tiny's reputation might mistake him for a kind man. "He will find his destiny when he is no longer by your side."

Larten stepped around to look Mr. Tiny in the eye.

Mr. Tiny continued, "If he becomes a vampire and travels on his own, his future will be sealed."

Larten froze and Mr. Tiny stepped around him and returned to the halls without another word. Larten stayed where he stood, pondering Mr. Tiny's message. When he finally returned to his quarters, Gavner and Darren were waiting for him.

Darren rushed to Larten as he entered. Larten bent down and wrapped his arms around the boy as he flung his own around Larten's neck. Larten lifted Darren up and held him while he spoke to Gavner,

"Mr. Tiny will be staying for 2 days," he said.

"Why?" Gavner asked, looking horrified.

Larten could only shrug.

"Why is he here?" Darren asked.

Larten looked at Darren and said, "Darren, listen to me. For the next two days, I do not want you going anywhere unless Gavner, Seba, or I are with you. Do you understand. You will go nowhere by yourself."

Darren nodded and Larten put him down.

"I should go," Gavner said. "The princes are holding a meeting to talk about the sudden visit. They may need generals to help manage the crowds."

Gavner left, leaving Darren and Larten alone. Darren noticed how upset his father looked despite his attempts to hide it. He was more scared of the bad man than anything else, but he knew that both of them being scared wouldn't do any good. So he pushed his fear aside the best he could and gave his father a smile.

"It's only two days," he said, "Don't worry. And I won't go anywhere by myself. I promise."

Larten looked down at the boy and smiled. "Thank you, Darren." He put a hand on Darren's head and ruffled his hair.

The next two days were stressful to say the least, but relatively uneventful. Mr. Tiny kept true to his word on not interrupting any of the remaining festivities. He never even spoke. He walked around the halls, observing. It made everyone in the mountain uneasy. Sometimes, he would pick one or two vampires and just stare at them for a while- showing no emotion- then would move on.

By the time Mr. Tiny left, the Festival of the Undead had made its' close and vampires began to depart. Soon, Gavner and Seba were the last visitors to leave. Seba had took Darren aside and explained that he was leaving and that Darren won't be seeing him again. Darren cried and hugged Seba goodbye. Larten said his goodbyes to his former master and made the death's touch sign. Then, Seba was gone.

Larten didn't tell anyone about his talk with Mr. Tiny. He had no idea what Des Tiny had planned for Darren, but he knew it wasn't good and he was going to do anything in his power to make sure Darren's life didn't go according to Mr. Tiny's sadistic plans…


	5. Harsh Words and Deepest Desires

Darren sat in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, eating bat broth and stale bread. He looked down at the small scars on his fingertips and studied them. He had been a full vampire for just under ten years and was very proud of the scars that proved he was officially part of the clan. While he was much older, he looked to be a man in his early 20s. He remembered when Larten first blooded him into a half vampire nearly 25 years before and smiled. For months before actually blooding him, Larten kept asking him if it was what he really wanted.

"You could live a very rewarding life as a human," he had said, "I would not think any less of you if you wanted to leave this life behind. As you know, we live roughly and vampire life is very challenging."

Darren would tell him repeatedly that he was sure, but Larten would still tell him to think about it more and get back to him.

Darren chuckled at the memory. It was clear to him that Larten's main concern was Darren's happiness. He never gave Darren any inclination of what he wanted for him, and always let Darren choose his own path.

There was only one issue they disagreed on constantly and Darren noticed that whenever he brought it up, Larten would dismiss it immediately, refusing to ever even discuss it. He had been wanting to leave the mountain and travel the world for the past few years. He wanted to explore the human world, but Larten quickly shut down any plans he had before he could even finish asking the question. When Darren asked why Larten didn't want him leaving, his only response was a curt, "You are not ready yet."

Darren sighed thinking about how upset Larten seemed to get about it. He was planning on bringing it up to Larten again later that night and finally making him have a real talk about it, but he was nervous about making him mad.

Darren quickly finished his meal and headed down to the storerooms. When he got there, Larten was stacking the newest shipment of boxes. When he saw Darren walk in, he smiled at him and Darren began helping him stack boxes, like he had done several times before.

"You finished early in the kitchens tonight," Larten commented, and Darren nodded. When Darren became old enough, he started helping out in the kitchens and it soon became a regular job for him. He would cook and prepare meals and blood for everyone in the mountain with four other vampires. They were all older than him, but still considered young by vampire standards. He got along very well with them and became particularly close with one vampire named Kaleb. He came to the mountain with his mentor when Darren had just been turned into a half vampire and was assigned to work in the kitchens with him right away. They quickly became friends and continued to grow closer in the years they knew each other.

After a few minutes of stacking in silence, Larten said, "So, what is troubling you?"

Darren stiffened. "What do you mean?" he tried to ask innocently.

"Darren, I raised you. I can tell when something is on your mind."

Darren looked down, letting his nerves get the better of him. "It's nothing big," he said, "It can wait until we're done."

They continued stacking boxes and putting everything in order. Once they finished, Darren took a deep breath and turned towards Larten.

"Dad," he started, trying to make his voice firm, "I want to talk to you about something."

"I am listening," Larten said, trying to sound assuring. He could tell how nervous Darren was.

"I want to leave the mountain and travel the world." Darren said bluntly. He couldn't think of a way to build up to what he wanted to say, so he decided to just say it and wait for his father's response.

Darren had been looking down at his hands, but slowly raised his eyes when Larten didn't respond. His face held an unreadable expression. After another moment of silence, Darren shifted uncomfortably. "Dad?" he asked uncertainly.

Larten sighed, "Darren, we have discussed this already."

"But we haven't," Darren said, "You just keep saying that I'm not ready, and I don't agree. I've been learning about human life for years. Besides, you gave me the option to join them before I even became a vampire. Why can't I go now?"

"That option went away when your humanity did," he retorted. "You _chose_ to leave it behind when you became a vampire. The fact that you believe you can return to that life now just proves that you are not ready and makes me wonder if I blooded you too early."

"What?!" Darren exclaimed, "I don't want to be human!"

Larten ignored what Darren said and continued, "You are the one who kept insisting that human life was not what you wanted, so I blooded you when you were only nineteen under the impression that you would not live to regret it, but clearly I was wrong."

"I don't want to be human," Darren repeated. "I love being a vampire. I don't want to join the human world, just explore it."

Larten stared at him with a hard expression.

"Other vampires live among humans," Darren continued, taking advantage of his father's silence. "In fact, most do! This mountain is next to empty between Councils. Not many spend their lives here."

"Those who live beyond vampire mountain are experienced vampires who have acclimated themselves to that life. You have no experience and I cannot accompany you to guide you."

Darren argued, "How am I supposed to get experience when I'm stuck under this rock? I've spend my whole life living through postcards and Gavner's stories. I want to have stories of my own."

Larten hesitated, seeming unsure what to say.

"What happened to what you would tell me when I was little? That I could have adventures of my own and explore the world?" Darren pressed, "Where did all that go?"

"I told you that you could leave when you were ready, but you are not."

"But _why_ not?" Darren snapped, "Why don't you trust me to make it on my own?"

"Because you have never been on your own!" Larten yelled. "You do not know the first thing about living out in the real world or how it works!"

"So you won't even give me the chance?"

Larten huffed, "I do not need to. I have lived the life you yearn for. I know what it takes to survive in it and you would not last 6 months."

Darren glared. "Just because you ran away from human life, that doesn't mean I'll do the same! Just give me a chance to-"

Suddenly, Larten snapped. "Stop asking to leave vampire mountain!" he roared and Darren flinched at the unusual roughness in his voice. "It is not going to happen!" Larten finished sharply. He swiftly turned on his heel and left, leaving Darren to stare after him shocked and hurt. He felt tears threaten to fall, but forced them back.

After taking several minutes to calm down, he slowly walked out of the storerooms. He didn't want to go back to their room, for fear of running into a still-fuming Larten and sparking another argument, so he went to the next best thing: Kaleb's room.

Darren entered Kaleb's room without knocking, as it had become a habit among them. The only reason Kaleb still knocked before entering Darren's room was because he still shared with Larten.

Kaleb took one look at the expression on his friend's face and smiled sympathetically. "I take it the big talk with 'dad' didn't go too well."

"It couldn't have gone worse," Darren said glumly. He recounted Kaleb on their argument and on Larten's outburst.

When he finished, Kaleb let out a slow breath. "That's pretty intense."

Darren sighed, "You should have seen him, Kaleb. He has never been that angry with me before. Not even when I was twelve and made a giant tear in his finest cloak because I was trying it on-"

"And it got caught on some luminous lichen in the hall," Kaleb finished, chuckling at the thought. "Anyway, he'll calm down," Kaleb assured him, "You two are so close. When he calms down, you two will go back to normal. Mr. Crepsley always starts off really serious about things at first, and then lightens with time."

"But he hasn't lightened," Darren replied, "I've been asking to leave for years and his responses have only gotten worse." He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. "I think I'm finished asking."

Kaleb eyed him oddly. "What does that mean?"

Darren explained, "I'm done trying to leave vampire mountain. I won't let this to ruin our relationship. I want to travel, but it isn't worth losing my father over. I'm done."

"Are you sure?" Kaleb asked.

Darren nodded sadly.

"Hey," Kaleb said, making Darren look up at him. "I was talking to Vanez earlier tonight. I decided to start training to be a guard."

"That's great," Darren congratulated, "You would be a fantastic guard."

Kaleb smiled, then nudged Darren's shoulder. "Why don't you train with me?"

"What?" Darren asked stupidly.

"Come on!" he urged, "You can't work in that kitchen forever. And if you're going to be sticking around anyway, why not give yourself something to strive for?"

Darren thought about it and smiled. It would be nice to have a challenge, and spending more time with Kaleb was inviting. Finally, he said, "That sounds great. I would love to train with you."

They spent the next few hours talking until Darren decided to retire back to his room. Kaleb had offered to let Darren sleep in his room with him, but Darren refused. He knew he should tell Larten of his plans to become a guard, and he hoped that it would be enough to make amends.

When he entered, Larten was sitting on top of his coffin waiting for him. Darren slowly walked over and sat down beside him.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Darren said, lowering his gaze. "I shouldn't have pushed on an issue I knew you don't approve of. I thought I could make you change your mind, but if you don't think I'm ready, then I have to trust your judgement. If you feel that strongly about me staying, then I will respect that and I won't ask to leave again."

Darren looked down sadly and Larten felt guilty. He sighed, thinking back to a time when he too felt trapped by the stone walls of vampire mountain. In a rarer display of affection, Larten draped his arm around Darren's shoulder and pulled him close and Darren rested his head on Larten's shoulder.

"I know this mountain can feel… entrapping at times," Larten said, "I do understand and I am sorry you do not want to be here, but-"

"It's not that I don't like it here," Darren cut him off and lifted his head. "I just feel like I've spent my whole life dreaming of a time when I could explore the world and see what's out there, so it was hard to accept that it might not happen."

"'Was?'" Larten asked.

"I went to Kaleb's room after we fought," Darren explained, "He said Vanez was going to start training him to be a guard."

Larten said, "That is nice for him."

"I decided to train with him," Darren said, eyeing his father closely.

Larten looked at him, surprised. "You wish to become a guard?"

"I don't want to work in the kitchens forever," Darren said then stood up. "If I'm going to stay here for a while, I might as well strive for something," he mimicked Kaleb's words. He went on, "I feel like I need a challenge. I'm getting bored."

Larten nodded. After a moment of silence, he said quietly, "We never had a fight before."

Darren nodded. "No we haven't," he agreed.

"This was our first one," Larten stated.

"Yes it was," Darren agreed again.

"I must say," Larten said, standing. "I did not care for it."

Darren smiled. "Me either."

They both began getting ready to sleep. Before they each laid down, Larten turned to Darren.

"We are fine now, right?" he said, clearly upset about their argument.

Darren looked over and saw his father's guilt-ridden and uneasy expression. "Yes, we're fine," he assured. He walked across the room and pulled Larten into a hug. Larten stiffened slightly in the hug, but returned it regardless. He knew that Larten wasn't the most affectionate person-most vampires weren't-but Darren was always a special exception to the older vampire's aversion to physical contact.

They pulled apart and went to bed. It wasn't until Darren closed his coffin lid and saw the postcards he had nailed to back of it that he sighed sadly and felt the tears-not-shed from before resurfacing. He ripped down the cards and crumpled them at his side. He wanted to take advantage of his isolation to let out his frustrations, but he knew that Larten would hear if he started to cry, so he rolled onto his side and tried to sleep.

All went back to normal after that night. Within a week, Darren and Kaleb had started training with Vanez to become guards. It was very similar to the training it took to become a general, with a few modifications. After a one-on-one training session with Vanez, he asked to speak with Darren privately before they finished.

Darren did as the half-blind gamemaster asked, curious what Vanez wished to discuss with him.

"Darren," Vanez started, "I'm curious why you suddenly decided to become a guard. If I understood correctly, you were planning on exploring the world for a few years before fully dedicating to the clan like most other vampires do. You already waited longer than "

"Oh, well…" Darren paused, not wanting to seem like a pushover for still doing everything Larten told him. "There was a change in plans. It turns out that I'm going to be staying in the mountain for a while longer and when Kaleb told me he was going to start training, I decided to as well."

Vanez squinted suspiciously at Darren, and Darren felt compelled to look away. "Why have you waited this long?"

Darren shrugged. He didn't want to lie to Vanez, but he also didn't want to admit the truth about Larten's disapproval.

Vanez continued. "I will not stop you from continuing your training if this is what you want, but I would strongly advise you to think about this decision further. Becoming a guard means living in Vampire Mountain for most of your life. If there is any part you that is unsure of whether this is right for you, you should wait, but like I said, if this is what you truly want, then continue training."

Darren said nothing. He could tell that Vanez was pushing him to not just reconsider, but back out of training. Darren spent the rest of the night thinking about his words. Darren didn't want to be a guard. At least, not right away. He had thought about becoming a general or guard since Larten taught him about them, but he wanted to travel first. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much he didn't want to continue training. He knew he wasn't going to be satisfied with any decision that meant never leaving the tunnels of vampire mountain. He also knew that Larten would never approve of him leaving.

So, what was Darren supposed to do?

It was a difficult decision, and Darren was ready to suck it up and continue training anyway, until the mountain got a visit from one of Darren's favorite Generals.

Darren and Larten's room was one of the first places Gavner visited upon arriving. When he reached it, Darren was there alone, looking through his box of numerous post cards.

He knocked on the wall to gain Darren's attention.

"Gavner!" Darren called out. It had been at least 13 years since he last saw Gavner since he missed the last Council. He was quick to give his old friend a hug.

When they pulled apart, they were both smiling. "How is my favorite nephew?" Gavner joked. He often called Darren his nephew in order to tease the younger vampire. When Darren was 7, he called the general, "Uncle Gavner" and he never let Darren hear the end of it.

"Haha," Darren said, rolling his eyes. "How have you been?"

"Just fine," Gavner answered. "And I brought you something."

He pulled a new post card out of his pocket. "I know you already have a post card from Stockholm, but this one has the Drottningholm Palace. I thought you would enjoy it."

Darren looked down at the card in his hands and sighed. "Thanks Gavner, but you don't have to bring me these anymore."

"Why not?" Gavner looked at him confused and concerned.

Darren hesitated. He didn't want to complain about Gavner's best friend to him, but if he didn't tell Gavner, he would just ask Larten later.

"I'm not going to be leaving vampire mountain," Darren answered sadly.

"Why not?" Gavner repeated.

Darren looked down and shrugged.

"Darren," Gavner said sternly.

"Dad doesn't want me leaving the mountain," Darren said, "We got into a huge fight over it and I decided to stay here and train to be guard."

"A guard?" Gavner said in a disapproving tone. "Don't get me wrong, the guards are essential to vampire mountain and are deserving of respect, but you can do so much more. Let me talk to Larten."

"Please don't," Darren begged. "I'm okay with it really."

"I'm not," Gavner said. "Why doesn't Larten want you leaving?"

Darren answered, "He didn't really say. He said it's because I don't have experience out there, but if I never go, I'll never get any experience at all."

Gavner nodded. "I am going to speak with him. At the very least, I can probably get a straight answer out of him."

Gavner found Larten in the store rooms, getting ready to finish up for the evening. The pair spent a few minutes catching up before Gavner said, "So Darren told me of his plans to be a guard."

"Oh?" Larten replied.

"He said you didn't want him traveling like he always planned." Gavner watched his former mentor carefully.

Larten sighed. "It is unfair of me to do, I know, but I felt like I had to"

"Why?" Gavner asked, "Darren always wanted to travel. You knew that. Why deny him of it?"

Larten responded. "You do not understand."

"No I don't. Explain it to me," Gavner said.

Larten leaned in, as if he were telling a secret. "It goes back to Mr. Tiny's visit all those years ago. Do you remember when I asked you to watch Darren while I prepared Mr. Tiny's room?"

Gavner nodded.

Larten continued, "He came by and talked with me about Darren. It was not a coincidence that I found Darren left in the snow. He knows where he came from and I suspect that he may even had something to do with it."

Gavner looked concerned. "What does this have to do with traveling?"

"He said he has 'plans' for Darren. He told me as soon as he leaves vampire mountain that…. something will happen. I do not know what, but if it involves Desmond Tiny, then it will not be good."

Gavner sighed and took a moment a think. "Mr. Tiny showing an interest in anyone is unsettling," he finally said. "But he needs to make his own path. You can't keep him here forever. The truth is that you won't always be around to protect him. He will eventually get out on his own. It may even be soon."

"What do you mean?" Larten asked. "Has he mentioned running away?"

"No," Gavner assured. "He didn't say anything about that, but he may get the idea eventually."

Larten thought about that. He knew it was selfish to keep Darren with him, and wrong of him to deny him of his greatest want, but he found that it was hard to let that go.

"You can't stop him Larten," Gavner continued, "You can only prepare him and trust that you taught him enough to make the right choices."

Larten met eyes with Gavner. "You are right. Thank you Gavner."

That night, Larten found that Darren was waiting for him in their room.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately.

"For what?" Larten asked.

"Did Gavner talk to you?" Darren asked.

"Yes, he did," Larten answered.

"I didn't ask him to," Darren answered. "He just asked and I-"

"It is alright," Larten interrupted. "I need to speak with you."

"Okay…" Darren seemed uncertain.

"You get your wish," Larten said. "It was wrong of me to keep you here. You are a fine vampire and deserve to explore the world."

Darren's eyes widened hopefully. "Really?"

Larten nodded with a smile.

Darren grinned and flung his arms around Larten. "Thank you! Thank you!"

They pulled apart, but Larten kept hold on Darren's arms and spoke seriously, "Gavner offered to take you with him on his next few assignments. He will teach you things I could not, like drinking blood from the source and modern human habits."

Darren nodded excitedly.

Larten continued, "I just ask that you are careful."

"I will," Darren said immediately.

"Very careful," Larten said more sternly, locking eyes with Darren.

Darren nodded and spoke calmer, "I promise."

Larten nodded and let Darren go. "Gavner will speak with you more tomorrow and you will depart within a week."

That night, for the first in months, Darren went to sleep with a smile on his face.


	6. Silence in the Mind

The day finally arrived. Gavner and Darren prepared to leave vampire mountain. Larten stayed with Darren while he prepared, reminding him of things he needed and helping him pack the few things he was bringing with him.

Darren packed his post cards and a few vials of blood into a small bag.

"Be sure to keep refilling those vials," Larten reminded him. "They can save your life if you are in a dry spell."

Darren nodded. "I will."

"Remember," Larten continued, "We cannot drink from cats or dogs. And you should stay away from-"

"Snakes, monkeys, and frogs," Darren finished, smirking slightly at his father's nagging.

"There are other animals you should not drink from as well. If you are ever unsure, ask Gavner."

Darren nodded again, tied his bag, and left to say his goodbyes. He went to Kaleb's room first.

"So you're really doing this!" Kaleb said excitedly.

"I really am!" Darren replied happily. "Gavner is going to mentor me until he has to report back here, and after that, I'm on my own!" Darren was grinning ear-to-ear.

"Are you scared?" Kaleb asked.

"Not at all," Darren answered. "I am definitely ready for this!"

Darren went to the gaming hall to say goodbye to Vanez, who only reminded him to keep his senses sharp.

"Don't think you are getting out of a test when you return," he said with a wink of his good eye.

Petra, the vampire Darren worked under in the kitchens said goodbye and told him that he would always have a place in the kitchens if he ever needed it.

A few of the guards he knew came to wish him luck on his journey. One joked that this must have just been to get out of Vanez's training and Darren laughed.

Even the Princes at the mountain said their goodbyes as well.

Kurda told Darren to wait as he and Gavner prepared to leave and ran off. He came back with a rolled-up piece of paper and handed it to Darren.

"Take this with you," he said. "It is a map I made for you. It has your favorite cities from your postcards marked."

Darren opened the map and gasped. It wasn't an elaborate map. It covered most of Europe – this was where most of Darren's favorite cities were – with red stars next to the selected cities. Nothing else was marked, but it was intricately decorated with added details. He had drawn waves on the bodies of water and etchings of mountain ranges and forests. Even the compass rose was drawn with detailed ornaments that made it clear the Kurda spent a lot of time on it. "Sire, this is beautiful. Thank you so much."

Paris hugged Darren goodbye and gave him advice,

"Be careful with who you trust," he urged. "Humans have different values from vampires."

"That is true," Kurda added. "You never know what even the nicest person could have hidden beneath the surface."

Darren nodded. "Thank you, Sire." He packed the map away in his bag and him and Gavner began to leave the mountain.

Larten walked them to the edge of the mountain. As they reached the tunnel opening, they stopped. Larten and Darren hugged goodbye. They stayed that way for a while. When they finally pulled apart, Larten reminded him,

"Do not forget about using your breath when feeding. You will need it."

"I know," Darren told him.

"Stay away from cameras," he added.

"Yes, I know," Darren said again.

"And-"

"Dad!" Darren interrupted.

Larten took a step back. "Sorry." He cleared his throat, then spoke in his usual stern manner, "I am sure you will do just fine. Good luck to you both."

Darren smiled. "I'll be back for next council," Darren said. He joked, "You only get 10 years away from me."

Gavner patted Darren on the back. "We should be off then!"

Then, they left.

Darren was slow at the start. He had never made a trip to or from vampire mountain so he wasn't acclimated to the harsh demands. However, he adjusted quickly and never complained. As they traveled, Gavner taught Darren about hunting. He was surprised how quickly Darren picked up on it. He also started telling Darren about how humans live in the modern world.

There were several things Darren could not wrap his mind around.

"Wait," he said once when Gavner tried explaining some of their holidays. "humans worship a rabbit?"

Gavner replied, "Not worship… it is just their custom to believe that a rabbit delivers painted eggs to their homes."

"You said Easter was a religious holiday," Darren said. "What religion involves rabbits?"

Gavner laughed, "The rabbit has nothing to do with the religion. I don't know how that tradition started. You will find that a lot of traditions are like that."

Darren didn't understand why humans had so many holidays and celebrations and he had very little interest in them. He did, however, seem fascinated by Christmas. He found the idea of silver decorations in the streets and celebratory songs intriguing and looked forward to the December months where he could witness the festivals in person.

Gavner had three missions he needed to complete in the following months. He needed to check on three different generals that had gone missing 4 months ago.

"Normally," Gavner explained, "when we stop receiving responses from generals telepathically, we assume they've died and let it be."

"So why are we investigating this time?" Darren asked.

"Because these generals are still alive," Gavner said. "We can still find them telepathically. They just haven't been responding to any telepathic messages."

"Why not?" Darren asked.

"That's what we need to find out."

The first general they were checking on was named Johan. He was located a few miles outside of London. Gavner was telepathically communicating with one of the princes back in vampire mountain. The prince was using the Stone of Blood to locate the vampire in question, then communicating directions to Gavner. When Darren and Gavner found Johan, he was hiding out in the sewers beneath the streets.

He seemed overjoyed to see them. He had a leg nearly severed in a battle. It looked like it was healing nicely, but that was why he had not returned to vampire mountain.

"Why didn't you send out a message to the Princes or another general?" Gavner asked.

"I did," Johan responded. "I tried. I did for weeks, but I received no answer. Then, I got messages from the Princes asking where I was and I realized that, for whatever reason, they weren't getting any of my telepathic messages. Nobody was. I was planning on heading to vampire mountain as soon as I was healed."

Gavner looked concerned. "That's strange. Are you sure you sent out the messages? You didn't just think you did?"

"I sent them," Johan urged. "Please, when you go back to vampire mountain, tell them what happened. I should be alright enough to make the journey in a month."

Gavner agreed to pass on the message and he and Darren left.

The next vampire was named Aero. Gavner found him hiding out in the countryside of Germany. When Gavner and Darren reached him, he also was in bad shape.

"I was on my way back to vampire mountain when I came across a group of vampire hunters," he said while rebandaging a deep gash in his shoulder. "They ambushed me around midday and I had to flit through the sun for an hour to get away from them."

"An hour?" Gavner asked. "Humans shouldn't be able to follow a vampire for longer than a few minutes if they're flitting. How did they follow you?"

"I'm not sure," Areo answered. "But every time I stopped flitting, within an hour they would be there. When I did flit though, it was like they were expecting it and they obviously knew how to track a vampire when they flitted. I've come across other vampires who had a similar problem with hunters."

Gavner thought a moment, then responded, "Vampires hunters were never more than a minor annoyance. We never pay that much attention o them, but if they are learning more about vampires and getting smarter, we may need to be more careful."

Aero nodded. "It seems that way. I tried sending a message to the princes and some other vampires in the area to warn them, but I received no reply.

"We haven't been getting any messages from you," Gavner said. "That's why we've come. Have you not gotten any messages from the Princes?"

Aero shook his head. "None."

Gavner looked over to Darren who shared the same concerned look on his face as the one on Gavner's.

Turning back to Aero, Gavner said, "It may be a good idea to lay low for a while until you're healed, then head back to the mountain. I don't like this at all."

"What could be stopping the messages from coming through?" Darren asked, unable to stop himself.

Gavner shook his head. "I don't know, but I have a feeling Yanish has been having a similar problem." Yanish was the name of the third General Gavner was assigned to check on.

"Who are you?" Aero asked, looking at Darren.

"My name is Darren Crepsley."

Aero's eyes widened. "The boy in the snow!"

Darren shrugged and smiled. "That's me."

Aero nodded approvingly. "If I were in better condition, I would challenge you to a fight. I know many vampires who are eager to test how the famous vampire child would fare."

Darren shrugged again. "I'm really just a normal vampire."

Aero nodded and turned back to Gavner. "Did I hear you say something about another vampire have telepathy problems as well?"

"There are three vampire generals who the princes have lost contact with," Gavner said, "you are the second vampire we saw."

Aero looked worried. "I will head back to the mountain within the next few months if the luck of the vampires is with me."

Gavner and Aero wished each other luck and left to find the final vampire. According to the Stone of Blood, the final vampire, Yanish, was in Finland.

"He's almost all the way back to the mountain," Darren commented, as they flit across the country.

Gavner explained, "He's moved a lot over the months, following no clear path. Right now he is-"

Suddenly, he stopped and slowed down quickly until he was stopped. Darren had to double back to him.

"What happened?" Darren asked.

Gavner looked straight ahead. "Yanish is dead."

Darren stared at the General.

"The Princes just told me they lost all connection to Yanish. It's clear what that means."

"He might not be dead," Darren said, getting Gavner's attention. The General looked at Darren, perplexed. Darren continued, "If something is happening to vampire's telepathy, then maybe that has something to do with this."

Gavner nodded. "That is a good point. He was last detected in Oulu, Finland. We will look for him there."

It didn't take long to get to Yanish's location. They looked miles around where Kurda had directed them, and they each split up to look for Yanish – or Yanish's body! However, after hours of searching, Gavner had no luck finding Yanish.

Gavner returned to the spot where he and Darren agreed to meet. He sent out a message to Darren,

 _Come back to the clearing. I don't think we'll find Yanish here._

For a moment, there was no response. Then, Darren sent back,

 _Gavner come here! Right now!_

Gavner quickly searched for Darren's signal and followed it back into the forest. When he caught up with Darren, he was staring at a tree in front of him. Gavner had to move next to Darren to see what he was looking at, then he saw.

The tree had a rope tied to one of it's lower branches and swinging from it was who Gavner and Darren assumed was Yanish.

Darren looked horrified and pale and it occurred to Gavner that this was probably the first time Darren ever witnessed a corpse. What Gavner didn't realize was that Darren, upon closer inspection, recognized the deceased General. It was a faint memory. Darren remembered being barely old enough to reach his father's waist height when this General named Yanish earned the title "of the Howl" at his first ever Council. Gavner stepped forward to examine the body. Yanish was hanging by his neck and there was a pool of blood beneath him.

"Well," he said, still examining the former General, "he didn't hang himself."

Darren snapped out of his shock and took a few steps closer. "Then what happened?"

"Vampire hunters," Gavner said certainly. "A vampire or vampaneze wouldn't leave their dead opponent hanging from a tree."

"Unless it was an enemy," Darren pointed out. "A vampire or vampaneze who wanted revenge for something."

Gavner shook his head. He reached out toward the swaying figure and pulled open his jacket. "Look at those."

Darren leaned in and saw several small holes in the body's chest where the blood must have all leaked out. "Bullet holes?" he asked.

Gavner nodded. "That must be why he was traveling so quickly and so sporadically. He was being trailed by vampire hunters."

"So," Darren hesitated, "what do we do now?"

"We will give him a burial. These forests are so dense, it is unlikely his grave will be disturbed."

Gavner and Darren each made the death's touch sign and began to get Yanish out of the tree. As they pulled him down, something fell out of his hand and onto the ground. Darren bent down to grab it. It was a folded, slightly bloody, sheet of paper.

"Gavner," Darren said, unfolding it, "look at this."

"Read what it says," Gavner said as he started digging.

Darren finished unfolding the bloody paper and saw scrawled handwriting across it showing only three words. "'Leave us alone.'" Darren read.

They exchanged a perplexed look and Darren shoved the note in his pocket before helping Gavner dig a grave for their deceased comrade.

After that was done, Gavner took the note from Darren to show the Princes. Darren still looked shaken, but was trying to hide it.

Gavner said, "I need to report this to the Princes. Would you like to come back to Vampire Mountain with me?"

Darren almost considered saying yes. Although it had only been three months, he was feeling homesick. He missed his father especially. However, he knew going back would make him look like a coward. He fought so long for the opportunity to get out of the mountain so he was determined not to turn back so soon.

"No," Darren replied. "I'm ready to go off on my own."

Gavner nodded. "Well, then be careful. Avoid vampire hunters and hide yourself well."

Gavner turned to leave. "Good luck Darren!" He started jogging, then running and eventually flitted out of sight.

Darren was alone.


	7. Goodbye Darren Crepsley

Darren was finally on his own. He realized, of course, that he probably should have gone back with Gavner. He had finished his General business early and Darren should have had a mentor for a little while longer before venturing on his own. He knew Larten would not have approved, but he couldn't help himself. He was eager and felt ready to finally make it on his own. There was nothing that could stop him now.

He pulled out the map that Kurda had given him as well as a pencil. He knew he was somewhere in central Finland, so he began heading south so he could make his way to Sweden. There were two cities he wanted to visit there: Stockholm and Uppsala. He was filling in the map with towns and forests as he was walking, all the while getting a bearing of his surroundings. Growing up, Kurda had taught Darren all about how to make maps, and he prided himself in getting pretty good at it, despite other vampires in the mountain who had laughed.

"What's the point?" they would say.

"Kurda, you are infecting the boy!" Mika had teased. Most vampires viewed mapmaking as useless since they thought that using them for navigation was weak, but somehow, Kurda never faltered in his hobby and was eager to teach what he knew when Darren started to show an interest in it.

Finally, after a few days journey, Darren made it into Sweden. He was approaching Malmo, planning on passing through it when he noticed how loud everything was. Not just the people, but all of their strange devices as well. Darren had been told by Gavner as well as Larten about things like, cars, trains, buses, and telephones, but he didn't expect everything to be so loud!

Darren approached the city steadily, trying to adjust to the noise. As he entered the city, he felt his head start to hurt. Shaking it off as a minor annoyance, he kept going. He started walking through the streets, taking in everything with awe. The buildings were so tall and there were people walking about everywhere. They all seemed to speak a language that Darren didn't understand.

His head ache started to worsen. Darren winced and brought a hand to his head, massaging his temple as he turned down a main road. All around him, cars whizzed by and people rushed about, occasionally bumping into him and barking at him in that unknown language. Soon, Darren found himself in the middle of the crowd. Everyone was moving in one direction and Darren started to feel closed in with people completely surrounding him and packing close together. Darren felt his heart race and he could tell he was about to panic. Next to him, a shrill ringing sound came from a tall man in the crowd. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. He pushed a button and the ringing stopped. Then, the man put the device to his ear and began to talk into it. That must have been a telephone that Darren had heard about.

Darren had no time to dwell on that discovery because a few moments later, a loud honking sounded from the street. Darren jumped in surprise and covered his ears against the noise. None of the humans seemed fazed by it, but to Darren, it was the loudest sound on Earth. He closed his eyes and, still covering his ears, he tried to take a calming breath, but it was coming in shallow breaths and he felt his panic start to rise. He pushed through the crowd, ignoring the grunts and angered shouts from the people he pushed past. Once he cleared through the thickest cluster of people, he bolted down the street, heading towards the city's edge. Once he got there and was away from people, he sped up to a flit. He ran for miles until he was back in a forest. Still hyperventilating, he began pacing back and forth and running his hands through his hair. After a few minutes, he stopped, leaned against a tree, and tried to take a deep breath.

Slowly, he slid down the tree and sat on the ground, still feeling overwhelmed. Pulling his knees to his chest, he dropped his head and groaned. He began thinking that his father was right all along: maybe he wasn't ready to be on his own. As he felt his breathing level out, he considered heading back to the mountain. It felt weak and cowardly, but at that moment, Darren didn't care. He missed his home and wanted to go back. He waited until his breathing leveled out completely, then slowly got up.

Just then, a voice spoke to him from a tree branches above him,

"Having trouble?"

Darren shot around just in time to see a figure drop down from the trees above.

Landing on the ground in front of him, the figure stood straight and met Darren's eyes.

It was a vampire Darren had never met, but who he recognized none the less. He relaxed and smiled. "Vancha March," he said and bowed his head respectfully, "It is an honor to finally meet you, Sire."

In front of him, Vancha stood barefoot with animal hides covering him instead of clothes. He had unruly green hair and smelled like a wolf, but Darren knew better than to judge him on his external appearance. Vancha was one of the most respected vampires to be elected as a Prince. He was truly a man of the wilds, to a degree most vampires weren't. He never slept in coffins, wore only animal hides, and ate everything raw.

Vancha nodded. "You know me, but what do I call you?"

"Darren," Darren responded immediately. "My name is Darren Crepsley."

"Crepsley?" Vancha repeated. "Ah! Yes! You are Larten's boy."

Darren smiled. "Aye Sire."

Vancha nodded. "I've been wanting to meet you since learning about you. I am actually on my way to vampire mountain now to serve a term. Where are you heading?"

Darren responded sulkily, "I am going back to Vampire Mountain too."

Vancha raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you only left recently?"

"Three months ago," Darren answered, "but I am heading back regardless. Life outside Vampire Mountain was designed for vampires of a certain skill and demeaner that I do not have." He mimicked the words Larten used when he would tell Darren he was unfit for life outside the mountain.

Vancha stared, squinting at the young vampire. "And what do you plan to do when you get back?"

Darren said, "I started training to be a guard before I left, so I will continue on that path."

"I'm curious what made you want to return so quickly," Vancha said. It wasn't a question, but Darren knew he was expecting an answer none the less.

So, Darren told his tale from Malmo. Vancha listened pensively. When Darren finished, he looked Vancha in the eye, studying the Prince for his reaction.

"I just…freaked out. I don't know…" Darren finished.

Vancha nodded his understanding. "Humans are noisy and their way of life is enough to give any being with heightened senses an earache."

Darren changed the subject. "If you are going to Vampire Mountain as well, shall we travel together?"

"No," Vancha replied curtly, and Darren looked at him, confused. "Because you are not going back to Vampire Mountain."

Vancha looked at Darren sternly. "Larten is a close friend of mine as well as your mentor and I do not want anything to smear his reputation. If you run away now like a dog with its' tail between its legs, you will dishonor him. Tell me, did Larten Crepsley raise a coward?"

Darren scowled. "No."

"Okay then," Vancha concluded, then slapped Darren on the back. "Prove it. Get back out there. Face that city again and don't come back until you've adjusted to how humans live."

Darren nodded, somewhat reluctantly. "Thank you Sire."

Vancha nodded and said goodbye. Darren wished him safe travels and then Vancha left. When the Prince was out of sight, Darren sighed. He didn't want to go back into the city. He had lost his previous confidence and doubted his ability despite Vancha's words of confidence.

He contemplated staying in the woods and living roughly, but that is not what Vancha told him to do. He had to go back and Darren got nervous just thinking about it. Still not gathering enough courage to head back, he sat down on the grass and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he reached out mentally and searched for Larten. Larten was the first person Darren had linked with when he became a full vampire. He didn't want to speak with Larten and admit to his failure, but he wanted to reach his father somehow. Darren found Larten's signal exactly where he was expecting – Vampire Mountain – and he didn't speak to him, but just feeling Larten's presence in his own mind made Darren feel better.

Opening his eyes, he got off the ground and slowly began his trek back to the city he fled from.

When Darren finally made it back to the city, it was getting closer to dawn and most of the hustle and bustle was over. There were still cars driving around, but the sidewalks were next to empty. Darren wandered the city alone for a little while. The noise still hurt his head, but he didn't get as anxious as he had before. He knew the sun would be rising soon and he needed to find a place to sleep and feed. He wandered around the city until he found a hotel. He was about to go in, but then he realized that he didn't have any money. Larten had told him that he could pickpocket the people he fed from. Darren never liked the idea of stealing, but he had no other option.

Nobody was walking about at that point. So, Darren found an apartment building, scaled the wall in a back alley, and found a bedroom window. Larten taught him how to unlock a window with friction and the snap of his fingers. He didn't actually have to snap his fingers, but his father always did it and Darren picked up on the habit.

This was Darren's first time drinking straight from the source – at Vampire Mountain, the guardians of blood gave blood to them in bottles, so Darren had never drank from a human directly before. It didn't take long to find the human's bedroom in the small apartment. Sleeping in a bed was a middle aged woman. She was lying on her side facing away from the door, snoring lightly. It didn't taste that different from bottled blood, but it was warmer and tasted fresher. Once he was finished, he spit on the cuts, and began to rummage through the person's room. He tried not to pry into what the woman had, and left the way he came.

As he left the alley, he noticed the sky start to lighten. The sun wasn't up yet, but within the hour, Darren knew it would be. He walked quickly back to the hotel he found and walked in. As he approached the entrance, he reached out his hands to open the door. Before he could, the door opened on its own, making a swooshing noise that made Darren jump. He jumped back, alarmed. He looked around the door for a sign of who opened it, but the door was clear and there was no one else around. Hesitantly, Darren stepped through the doorway and walked through the lobby.

When he got to the check in desk, the man behind the desk was giving him an odd look. Darren smiled sheepishly and said, "Um… hi. Do you have any rooms available?"

The man continued to stare at him, confused and Darren shifted uncomfortably.

When the man did speak, he spoke that same language that Darren didn't understand from earlier. Darren's eyes shifted from side to side, unsure of what to do. The man kept talking and held up his hands, signaling Darren to wait. He disappeared in a back room behind the desk. After a few seconds, a different man came out.

"Hello!" he greeted in English. "How can I help you?"

"Hi! Yes!" Darren replied and sighed in relief, "Do you have any rooms available?"

The new man walked over to a large square contraption sitting on the far end of the desk and started pressing buttons on a board attached to the unfamiliar machine. After a few minutes, he turned back to Darren.

"You're in luck," he said with a smile, "we have one room left. How long will you be staying with us?"

Darren reached into his pockets and pulled out the money he got from the apartment. "How long will this much get me?" he asked. He had no idea how money worked, so when he was rummaging through the woman's wallet and other belongings, he just crumpled up enough odd colored bills to fill his pockets and left. He had no idea how much he had.

The man raised a curious eyebrow at the money now littered across the desk, but counted it regardless, straightening each bill as he did. When he was finished, he said, "You have enough for two nights. Is that how long you'll be staying?"

Darren nodded.

The man began working on the square machine again. "And what name will the room be under?" he asked, still looking at the screen.

"My name is Darren-" He stopped. He was about to use his full name before he remembered a piece of advice his father had given him l before he left,

"It may not be a bad idea to use a fake name when interacting in the human world," Larten had said, "Change it every 20 years or so to ensure people do not get suspicious."

"Um sir," the man said, "I am going to need a last name."

Darren looked to the side and noticed a shelf of newspapers. Sitting at the top, the headline of a paper read: CIVILIAN DERMOT SHAN RESCUES CHILD FROM FALLING OUT OF A WINDOW 3 DAYS AFTER A HEART ATTACK

Darren turned back to the man. "Shan," he said, "My name is Darren Shan."


	8. Midnight Diner

"Order up!"

The Midnight Diner was in the middle of their usual dinner rush. It was a small establishment, but was located right off the highway, so there was a constant influx of costumers. The sun had just begun to set and the middle shift was about to end.

The owner walked in from her office in the back to check in at the register.

"How did we do today Joe?" she asked the young man who was starting to balance the till.

"Pretty good actually," Joe replied. "We had a decent rush at lunch and dinner."

"Not breakfast?" The owner asked, reviewing the receipts.

"Nah. Breakfast is always kinda slow."

Through the kitchen window, the cook, a college student, called out. "I think it's time for me to go Mya!"

The owner checked her watch. "You still have three minutes left on your shift, Luke," she called back. "Besides, you can't leave until you get relieved. You know the rules." Her voice was stern, but there was a smile on her face.

"What if he's late?" Luke groaned.

Mya called back, "Then so are you."

As if on cue, the bell on the door rang as someone entered.

Mya saw who it was and smiled. "Darren, there you are. We were just talking about you."

Darren smiled. "What can I say? I'm such a fascinating topic!"

He went behind the counter and grabbed an apron and his name tag. After putting on a hair net, he went into the kitchen.

"You are relieved Joe," Darren said, knowing the kid would be happy to be able to go home.

"You were almost late," Luke grumbled.

Darren patted him on the back and winked. "Almost means I'm not."

Luke rolled his eyes and clocked out. As Luke clocked out, the other waiters and waitresses followed suit as the customers at their tables paid their bills and left.

Nights at the diner were typically slow, but Darren enjoyed them. After a few hours of working, it was 2am and there was only one person in the diner. He was sat at a table for two by the window drinking coffee and working on a newspaper crossword.

Meanwhile, Darren took the opportunity to clear tables and start washing dishes. He usually had help, but the usual waitress, Erika, was sick and didn't come in. Mya offered to try to find someone to take her shift, but Darren insisted that he could manage on his own.

"After all," Darren had said, "There are hardly any visitors at night. I can manage on my own for one night."

He finished wiping down the tables. Returning the rag to his back pocket, he walked over to the man sitting alone.

"Can I get you anything else, sir?" Darren asked.

The young man looked up. "No thank you. I'm fine with my coffee."

Darren smiled and nodded. "I will be in the back. Just shout if you need anything."

As Darren went back behind the counter, he heard the bell ring as someone else entered. He looked up and a huge smile spread across his face.

"Kaleb!" he shouted with glee. He raced around the counter and gave his old friend a hug. "What are you doing here?"

They pulled apart. "I'm visiting!" Kaleb replied. He was dressed in average human clothing, but he was scruffier than when Darren last saw him. Other than that, his old friend from Vampire Mountain looks the same.

Darren gestured for him to sit at the counter. When he did, Darren pulled out a mug from under the counter and poured him a cup of coffee. "So, what's going on?"

Kaleb took a sip then replied, "I've been doing some traveling. I decided to seek you out." He lowered his voice, "I followed your mental signal here."

"What about training?" Darren asked, "Vanez let you leave?"

"Finished," Kaleb said simply and took another sip.

"You're done?" Darren was shocked. He glanced at the man in the corner and lowered his voice. "It usually takes ten years to become a guard. I left 7 years ago and you were only just about to start."

Kaleb smiled and responded in an equally soft voice, "I finished early. I really took to it and passed everything like it was a breeze!"

Darren leaned forward and whispered, "I'm so happy for you, but what are you doing here?"

"I told you," Kaleb whispered back. "Visiting."

Darren shook his head and explained, "I mean why aren't you serving?"

"Once I start serving, I'm going to be in the mountain for years. It was Vanez's idea to use the time I would have been training to go out and explore once more before settling in for good."

Darren smiled and straightened. "That sounds fantastic," he said normally. He pulled out his rag and began wiping down the counter. "How long are you going to be staying here?"

"Haven't decided yet," Kaleb said.

"Why don't you stay with me for a couple days?" Darren offered.

"Where are you staying?" Kaleb asked. He took another sip from his mug.

"I have an apartment a few blocks from here. My roommate just moved out so I have the whole place to myself."

Kaleb looked around. "How did this start, then?"

Darren replied, "It happened about three years ago. I had just come to America from Tokyo. It was so loud in Japan and I wanted to be somewhere quiet for a few months. That's when I found this place. I stumbled in late one night and met Mya. She owns it. I had been thinking about getting a job, and they were looking for a new fry cook. I worked in the kitchens for all those years so I figured why not? It seemed like a perfect opportunity. She took me in and gave me a job here. Granted, this cooking is totally different from back home, but I like it." Darren shrugged. "I've worked here ever since and…"

"And a few months became a few years," Kaleb finished.

They shared a smile.

Kaleb stayed for another hour. Darren went in the kitchen and made him a stack of pancakes-they were what Darren made best. Kaleb finished them quickly before he sent Darren a mental message while Darren was working.

 _I need to feed tonight before the sun comes up. Can I meet you at your place?_

So, Darren gave Kaleb his keys and mental directions to his apartment.

It was 5:30am and it was getting close to the end of his shift before the man sitting at the table by himself asked for his check. Before he left, he asked Darren,

"Did I hear you say you were looking for a roommate?"

Darren raised his eyebrows. "Oh…yeah. Well, maybe. I haven't really been looking. Why do you ask?"

The man replied, "I moved to the area a few months ago, but it's not working out between me and my roommates. I figured, if you were looking, you might be interested in getting a little help with the rent?"

"Maybe," Darren said.

"Well," the man said, "let me know." He grabbed a napkin and pulled out a pen from his pocket. "I will leave you my phone number and email and you can reach out to me if you make up your mind."

He handed Darren the napkin, paid his bill, and left. Within half of an hour, his shift relief came and Darren went home. The door was unlocked when he got there and Kaleb was sitting on his couch, flipping through a book he kept on his coffee table.

"Hey!" he greeted.

Kaleb looked up. "It's about time. I was getting bored."

Darren chuckled. "Sorry I have to make a living. I can't keep swiping money from the people I feed from." He closed the curtains over the window like he usually did when he got home. The sun would be rising soon and he hated when he forgot and got woken up by the burning sensation.

Kaleb showed Darren the book he was looking at. It was The Three Musketeers. The book was old and worn; it's binding had started to fall apart. "You had this at Vampire Mountain," he said.

"Yeah I did," Darren replied. "I brought it with me."

"Where did you get it?" Kaleb asked.

Darren took the book in his hand. "It was a gift. When I was growing up, Dad's mentor used to watch me while he worked. He's the one who taught me to read and write. When he left, he let me keep this since it was my favorite." Darren smiled. He hadn't thought of Seba Nile in years. Larten never mentioned him and Darren suspected that his leaving hit him hard.

"How was the trip from Vampire Mountain?" Darren asked, deciding to change the subject.

"Not bad," Kaleb said. "You are my first stop. I wanted to see how you were doing."

Darren smiled. "I'm doing great! I love it out here." He looked down at the scars on his fingertips. "I have missed home though." He looked back up at Kaleb. "How is everyone?"

Kaleb smiled knowingly. "You mean how's Larten?"

Darren only smiled.

"He's fine," Kaleb said. "He's missing you like crazy though."

"He said that?" Darren asked, shocked.

Kaleb backtracked. "Well, he never came out and said it, but I can tell. He misses having you around."

Darren smiled. "I miss him too. There have been instances when it caused me to almost head back without a second thought. We've never spent this much time apart. How is everyone else?"

"Just fine," Kaleb said, "The kitchens have been running great as usual. They don't seem to miss us too much. Vancha is back in the Mountain. He's been serving a term with Paris and Kurda. The other princes have left."

"Have you seen Gavner?" Darren asked.

"Briefly," Kaleb said, "We have never spoken, but he has been coming back and forth from the Mountain."

The last time Darren and Gavner spoke, it was in a mental message from Gavner a few months after they separated urging him to keep the knowledge of the other vampires' mysterious disappearances a secret. Apparently, the princes decided not to tell any vampires who weren't Generals about it. Darren figured it was to not cause a panic, but he was curious if there have been any updates or if other vampires were allowed to know yet.

"Any other news?" Darren asked, hoping to bait any information out of Kaleb without giving anything away.

"I don't think so," Kaleb replied. "Everything seems completely normal."

That gave Darren what he needed to know. The Princes weren't making the telepathic troubles among certain vampires public.

"What's that in your hand?" Kaleb asked.

Darren looked down. He hadn't realized he was still holding the napkin with that man's contact information on it crumpled in one hand. He carefully opened it. "Do you remember that man who was sitting in the corner at the diner tonight?"

Kaleb nodded.

Darren continued, "Before he left, he told me he was wanting to move out of his apartment. He asked if I was looking for a roommate and gave me his contact information."

Kaleb raised one eyebrow. "That's convenient. Didn't you say your roommate left?"

Darren nodded. "Should I look into it?"

Kaleb shrugged. "What's the harm? If it turns out you don't like him, you don't have to take him up on his offer."

"I guess that's true."

"What's his name?" Kaleb asked.

Darren looked at the napkin and tried to decipher the name scribbled at the top. "It says his name is…Steve Leonard." Darren handed it to Kaleb to look at. "I might give him a call in the next few days. My paycheck isn't enough to cover rent for a two-bedroom apartment by myself. I've been stealing from houses I feed from. I was either going to look for a roommate or move somewhere smaller anyway."

Kaleb handed back the napkin. "Seems like this guy is worth a shot."

Kaleb stayed with Darren for close to a week before he left. His absence caused Darren to feel homesickness start to plague him. Larten, Gavner, and the other vampires hardly left his thoughts. He only had three years to wait before seeing them all again for Council, and that helped him feel better. After a few days of lonliness, he found himself wishing he had a friend around to help him pass the time. So, he decided to finally seek out a roommate.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number on the napkin Steve gave him.

"Hello?" came the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hello!" Darren greeted. "Steve Leonard?"

"Yes," he replied. "Who is this?"

"Darren Shan," Darren said. "We met at the Midnight Diner a few weeks ago."

"Oh that's right!" Steve said. "I was starting to think you weren't going to call."

"Well," Darren started. "I was thinking about what you said. Are you still looking for a new roommate?"

"As a matter of fact, I am."


	9. The Reveal

Rooming with Steve was going great. They got along so well, it felt to Darren like they had been friends since childhood. They rarely saw each other during the week since Darren slept during the day to work the night shift at the diner. Steve worked during the day at some firm in a local city so they only really saw each other on weekends. Steve was always fairly vague on what exactly he did for a living, but he always paid his share of the rent on time, so Darren never questioned it.

The first weekend after Steve moved in, they were bonding by watching one of Steve's favorite movies. It was a horror film that Darren had never seen or heard of. Although he had a TV, he never watched it. It was more for show than anything else since it seemed everyone had one.

"You've really never seen this before?" Steve had asked as it started.

Darren smiled and shook his head. "I don't actually watch that much TV. I hardly find time with all my work at the diner."

"Hey!" Steve said with a grin. "You know what we should do?"

"What?" Darren asked.

Steve pulled out his phone. "We should take a roommate picture!"

Darren shifted. "Oh. I don't know."

"Why not?" Steve asked.

"I really don't like my picture being taken," Darren lied. "Besides, I'm still greasy from work and I'd rather not. Let's just watch the movie."

Steve let it go, but that wasn't the last time Darren had to talk his way out of something that would tip Steve off on him not being human. Some of them were easier than others.

"Why do you have such thick curtains?" Steve had asked one morning as Darren was getting ready for bed and Steve was just starting his day. "Don't you like having sunlight?"

Darren had turned his attention away from the mail. "I do, but I find that its harder to sleep if there's any sunlight so I sort of trick my brain into thinking its still night when I go to bed."

Steve let out a long whistle. "So you spend your whole life in the dark."

Darren shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Why do you work nights?" Steve had also asked.

"When I first moved here it was the only shift available," Darren replied. "I could have switched to days after I had been working there for a while, but I was so used to having a night schedule that I just stuck with it."

There were other situations that were a lot harder to explain. Darren was able to get out to feed without being noticed since Steve slept at night and he usually did it on his way home anyway. However, things got harder when Steve noticed the scars on Darren's fingertips.

"Oh…" Darren looked down at his scars and tried to think of a story Steve would believe. "I got these from cooking. I prick myself a lot when I cut things."

"All of them?" Steve had his eyebrows raised.

"I've been cooking since I was little," Darren lied. "When you've cooked for fifteen years and are as clumsy as I am, you're bound to get more than a few scars."

"I haven't noticed you being clumsy," Steve noted.

"Trust me," Darren urged. "When you've lived with me long enough, you will."

Steve didn't look convinced, but he let it go regardless, which was a relief to Darren.

Other than Steve's occasional questions

Everything was going great for the first year until Steve started acting strangely. He was spending less time in the apartment and stopped being as social when he was there. Darren figured he must be going through something personal and gave him his space. After 2 weeks of this behavior, Darren decided to ask what was wrong.

It was early one morning. Darren had gotten home from his shift a few hours earlier and stayed up to catch Steve as he got up for work. When Steve stepped out of his room, holding a sport's bag, he was surprised to see Darren sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea.

"Oh…" Steve started, "What are you still doing up?"

Darren shrugged. "I thought I would stay up and see if I could catch you."

"Why?" Steve asked, seeming very on edge.

Darren stood. "You just haven't seemed like yourself lately. I wanted to make sure everything was okay."

Steve shifted. "I'm fine. Look, I've got to go."

Steve began to head towards the door. Darren stopped him.

"Okay, but if there's ever anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me, okay?"

Steve nodded curtly, seeming annoyed. "Fine. Can I go now?"

Darren stepped out of the way and Steve rushed out the front door, leaving Darren concerned and confused. Did Darren do something to upset him? If so, he'd liked to know what it was so they could work on it. If not, then what was Steve's problem?

Darren pushed his worries aside and went to bed. He figured Steve would speak up if he wanted to. Until then, there wasn't much for Darren to do.

The next night, at work, Mya called Darren into her office.

"Have a seat," Mya said and Darren did.

Mya cleared her throat and began, "Darren, you've been working here a long time."

"Almost five years," Darren inputted.

Mya smiled. "You are by far one our most loyal employees and one of the first people I come to when I need someone to pick up slack."

Darren listened intently, curious about where this was going.

"I've been looking for someone to fill the open night manager position for some time now," Mya continued. "And naturally, I thought of you first, but I am somewhat aware of your…unique situation." She gave Darren a sly look as she waited for his response.

"My…ummm…. I'm not sure what you're…." Darren hoped she hadn't found out about him being a vampire, but he didn't want to assume that's what she was talking about and accidentally reveal himself, so he just trailed off and waited for her to explain.

"Darren, I'd recognize those scars anywhere," Mya explained. "I knew as soon as you walked into my diner."

Darren gaped at her. "You knew the whole time? Why did you never say anything?"

Mya replied. "I wanted to show you I'm someone you can trust. If I had told you straight away, you would have freaked out and left."

She had a point. Darren would have run, changed identity, and started over somewhere else.

"That being established," Mya said. "I would love to hire you as Midnight Diner's night manager, but I know vampires move around a lot, so I'm wondering how much longer you are planning on sticking around."

Darren thought. "Well," he explained. "There is somewhere I need to be in about 2 years or so, but I can come back after. It should take about 6 months, maybe less."

Mya thought about it. "That's a long time for me to let you take off, but what we can do it have you unofficially act as manager until you come back. You will restock the shelves, balance the till, and all that until after…wherever you need to go. When you come back, I will name you the official night manager."

Darren was shocked. "That is so generous of you, but why wait for me?"

"Because otherwise I'd have to give the position to Erica. She's the only other person on the night shift and that girl is as useless as a wooden frying pan."

Darren couldn't help but chuckle. Erica was Mya's niece. She was 19 and working at the diner was her first ever job. She was the laziest person Darren had ever met and was slow at everything she did, which wasn't much.

"Are you sure it's not going to be an issue choosing me over family?" Darren asked.

Mya shook her head and shrugged. "She's young and inexperienced in the restaurant business. Plus, she's only been here a year. Even if she were the best waitress on the planet, it wouldn't make good business sense to promote her."

"Alright then," Darren replied. "Thank you, Mya."

Mya smiled. "You can go back to your shift."

Darren hadn't been planning on coming back to this area after Council. He had already spent a few years in this town and it was unwise to stick around much longer, but Darren couldn't help himself. He loved working at the diner and having a steady job, so he ignored his common sense. However, now he had to think of an excuse to tell people at work and his roommate why he was going to be gone for half a year.

If Darren had been more instinctive and less sentimental, he wouldn't have made the biggest mistake of his life by choosing to stay longer.

A few days after his conversation with Mya, Darren went out to feed on his night off. Everything went normally, but as he was climbing down the building's fire escape he spotted someone at the end of the alleyway. The lights from the street were facing Darren so he couldn't see the face of whoever was standing there. He was only there for a second before turning and walking back down the street. Darren didn't know what to do. What did that person see? Darren knew there was no way they could have known he was feeding since he did that inside the apartment, but they might have thought that he was stealing or committing some other sort of crime.

Darren decided to leave it be and go home. He left no evidence of ever being there except for the small scar the man living there would have on his ankle, but it was hardly visible and he may not even notice it.

When he got back to his apartment, it was dark. He crept through the kitchen and living room quietly to get to his room. He was always careful not to wake Steve, who wouldn't be getting up for at least an hour. Once he got into his small, cozy bedroom he undressed from his diner clothes and slipped into comfortable pants and a t shirt. He collapsed on the bed heavily, making the bedframe creak. It wasn't long until he drifted off to sleep.

Darren woke up to a sharp pain in his neck. He opened his eyes to see the shadowed outline of Steve standing over him. He pulled the needle out of Darren's neck and stood there warily.

"What did you just-" Darren tried to reach for his neck to feel for the needle hole, but his arms were stuck, tied tightly above his head. His feet were tied as well. "What are you doing?!"

Steve went to the window and pulled the curtains apart, lighting the room in dim moonlight, but it was bright enough to light up Steve's sinister looking face. He still held the now empty syringe in one hand and something else behind his back in the other.

"What was that?" Darren demanded harshly. "What did you just give me?"

Steve ignored his question and spoke as if talking to himself. "This should be interesting. We've never done a direct injection before, it's always been shot from afar or slipped into food."

"What has?" Darren asked. He tugged at the ropes, but they were too thick to break, even for a vampire. "What are you talking about?"

Steve walked over to the bed and waved the syringe in front of Darren's face. "I just made it so you can't call for help. Now you can't call out to any of your monster friends to come save you."

Darren stopped struggling against the ropes as he understood what Steve was insinuating. "What do you mean, 'monsters'?"

Steve pulled out what he had behind his back. It was a wooden crossbow. "Don't play dumb. We both know what you really are."

Darren glared. "You're a vampire hunter."

Steve pointed the crossbow and Darren, but didn't fire. He backed up until he reached the chair Darren had in the corner of the room, then sat down. He still had the crossbow pointed at Darren.

Darren reached out with his mind, hoping to locate Kaleb, Gavner, or other vampires he was linked with, but he could only find… nothing. Darren tried to send out messages.

 _"Gavner? Are you there?"_ No response.

 _"Kaleb! Can you hear me?"_ Still nothing.

In one more desperate attempt, Darren tried to send out a final message, _"Dad, hello?"_

When no replies came, Darren sighed and pressed his head against his pillow.

"Now," Steve started, "just sit still and this will go by a lot easier."

"What will?" Darren asked.

"I need answers to some questions," Steve responded, "and you are going to give them to me."

"And _why_ would I do that?" Darren squinted suspiciously at Steve.

Steve smiled. "Because the only thing standing between you and burning to death is me pulling the curtains closed. Sunrise is only two hours away."

Darren shrugged. "You are just going to kill me anyway. That isn't much of a bargain."

"Oh but it is." Steve leaned back in that chair, but didn't lower the crossbow in his hand. "Because in exchange for the information I want I'm willing to offer you a chance to die on your feet. Isn't that what vampires strive for? A noble death? And burning to death while helplessly strapped to a bed doesn't seem very noble now does it?"

Darren pressed his lips together firmly. Steve had a point. To die by the sun in the state he was in would make for an embarrassing end. Hesitantly, he asked,

"What exactly do you want to know?"

Steve smiled and leaned forward. "For starters, is Darren Shan your real name?"

Darren didn't say anything.

Steve rolled his eyes. "How about this? You must have questions too, right? If you answer my questions, I'll answer yours."

Darren thought for a moment, then nodded. "My real name is Darren Crepsley. My turn: You've been living with me for the past year. Why kill me now?"

"I couldn't be sure you were a vampire at first, so I started testing you. I asked about you working nights, the scars on your fingers, and tried taking your picture." Steve began mindlessly stroking the crossbow in his hand as he asked his next question. "How many other vampires are in the area?"

Darren glared. "Well, I can't tell you that with my mind blocked off can I?"

Steve cocked his head to one side. "Huh…. The serum has only stopped vampires from sending out messages. All their other telepathy powers worked. I guess direct injection is stronger."

"How did you learn so much about vampires?" Darren asked.

Steve chortled. "I studied them of course. Vampire hunters have been around for centuries. In that time, we've learned what was true and what were myths."

"How many of you are there?" Darren asked.

Steve shook his head. "Not so fast, it's my turn. Where's that buddy of yours who came into the diner last year?"

Kaleb. Darren knew that was who Steve was talking about, but he would rather burn in the sun than betray his friend.

"He's just a friend of mine. No one important."

"Is he a vampire?" Steve asked.

Darren shook his head. "Now you answer my question. How many vampire hunters are there?"

Steve shrugged. "I doubt anyone has counted, but hundreds at least."

Darren shifted where he was laying. He could feel the rope digging into his skin.

Steve tensed, tightening the grip on his weapon. When Darren relaxed back on the bed, Steve relaxed slightly too. "I have one more question. What happens to vampires every 12 years?"

"What are you talking about?" Darren asked.

"Hunting down vampires is a lot easier than you'd think, but we've noticed that every twelve years, most vampires are harder to find. It's like most of you just disappear. So, what happens every twelve years?"

Darren said nothing. There was no way Steve could make Darren tell him about Vampire Mountain. He would gladly die before giving away the location of vampires' only sanctuary away from humans who thought they were evil.

"I know you know. So come on." Steve leaned forward in his chair and looked Darren in the eye.

Still, Darren said nothing, then, he suddenly got an idea.

Steve stood up and walked over to the bed. He pressed the tip of the crossbow below Darren's chin. "Tell me."

"Fine," Darren said, "If you really want to know. Every twelve years, certain vampires go into hiding from humans. It's just time we take to get away from human life and spend alone time either in forests or caves or wherever there's somewhere isolated. We aren't very social by nature, so it's nice to be able take a break and be alone for a while."

Steve looked at Darren, trying to tell if Darren was lying. Darren tried making his face look as bland as possible. When Steve seemed to buy his lie, Darren breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"This is your last question," Steve informed him. "Make it good."

Darren looked Steve straight in the eye. "What was in that serum you gave me?"

Steve pulled out a vile from his inner coat pocket. It was clear and Darren could see that it was half-full with a thick, clear liquid. He sloshed it around in the bottle a bit before returning it to his pocket. "Now that I won't tell you."

Darren lifted his head. "I'm going to die anyway, so why not just tell me? Come on, humor a dead man's final wish." Darren kept his head raised just high enough to block Steve's view of his hands. Larten had taught him years ago how to get out of ropes and handcuffs, so it was easy making quick work on the ties around his wrists.

Steve answered, "To be honest, I can't tell you. There is a scientist that's with us that discovered how to make it and has been distributing the serum to vampire hunters all over the world." Steve smiled. "It's actually a very good business."

Darren felt the ropes around his wrists loosen. He held the rope in his hand, to make it look like they were still tied, and lowered his head again. "How do you manage to track vampires? We can move remarkably fast."

Steve smiled and stepped closer. "Oh, I know, but we have our ways."

"What ways?" Darren asked.

Steve laughed. "You're out of questions." Steve stepped next to the bed and pointed the crossbow at Darren's chest, right over his heart.

Before he could fire, Darren let go of the ropes above his head, freeing his hands, and lunged at Steve. He pushed the crossbow up right as Steve fired, sending an arrow at the ceiling. Darren grabbed Steve by the collar of his jacket and slammed his head against the bedpost. He did this twice before he managed to knock him out. He let Steve fall to the floor and untied his feet. He leapt off the bed and grabbed his small travel bag from his closet. There wasn't much in it – Kurda's map, a few vials of blood, bandages, etc. – but he always kept it packed in case he ever needed to make a quick escape. He had never needed to until that night.

Darren flung the bag over his shoulder and was about to leave when he glanced back at Steve, still unconscious on the floor. He bent down and turned Steve over on his back. He slipped a hand under Steve's jacket and felt around the pockets until he found the vial of serum. He slipped the vial into his bag and rushed out the door.


	10. A New Ally

The first place Darren went was the diner, though his instincts told him that was a bad idea. Steve would wake up at any second and no doubt go after him, and who knows how many other hunters Steve told about him who could spot him. He knew he should just leave and flit far away, but Mya had been so good to him, it felt wrong to leave without saying goodbye.

The sun would be rising in less than an hour and he doubted Mya would even be there, but he planned to slip into her office, write her a note, then sneak back out without anyone seeing him.

When he got to the diner, he snuck around the back and found Mya's office window, but was surprised to see the light on. He peered in and saw her getting up from her desk and packing up her purse. She was getting ready to leave. Darren knocked on the window and she jumped and quickly turned around. When she spotted Darren she opened the window.

"Darren, what are you doing?" She looked slightly annoyed at being startled.

Darren spoke quickly. "I don't have much time to explain, but there are vampire hunters after me. I have to go, but I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye and thanking you for everything you've done for me."

Mya still looked confused. "Why are vampire hunters after you?"

Darren looked down the street. When nobody was there, he turned back to Mya. "It'll take too long to explain, but he injected me with this liquid that prevents me from using any of my mental abilities."

Mya's eyes widened. "Wait, what liquid?"

Darren pulled it out of his bag to show her. She didn't grab it, but she looked at it. "Hold on," she finally said and rushed back to her desk.

Darren sighed. He peered back towards the street. Still, no one was there. He put the vial back in his bag and hopped impatiently from foot to foot.

When Mya walked back to the window, she handed Darren a sheet from her stationary book. "Take this," she said. "My brother is a chemist. This is his name and work address. Tell him I sent you. He can look at that liquid. Maybe there's a way for you to get your mental powers back."

Darren nodded and stuffed the paper in his pocket. "Thank you Mya. Now, I have to go. Thank you for all your help."

Mya smiled sadly. "Bye Darren. Good luck. Send me a message when you're safe, okay?"

Darren nodded and slinked down the alleyway. He took side streets and alleys as he made his way out of town. As he made his way swiftly from street to street, the sky above flooded with dark clouds and soon it started to downpour. Darren was thankful for the rain. With the clouds covering the sun, he was able to cover more ground through the morning. He looked at the address of Mya's brother. It wasn't exactly close, but if Darren flitted, he could get there in less than a day. The name Mya wrote down was Lucas Ovo. He worked at a research corporation a few towns over.

When the storm stopped and the sun came out, Darren rested in an old barn. It looked as though it had been empty for some time, but the faint smell of livestock and hay was still present. He didn't sleep, but he did lay down to rest his legs and examine his wrists and ankles. He had some rope burns on each leg and arm, but they were worse on his wrists and one had started to bleed. Darren rubbed some spit into the wound and relaxed back against the barn wall.

How could he have been so dumb? Darren was thinking to himself. How could he have _lived_ with a vampire hunter for over a _year_ and not notice? Darren spent the remainder of the day kicking himself for it. He also tried reaching out to other vampires and locating them, all with no success.

First, he tried sending a simple, but cheery message to his father.

" _Hey Dad! Guess who's the dumbest vampire ever!"_

No response. It didn't even feel like sending a message. When he sent out any thoughts, it just felt like him thinking. He also tried reaching out with his mind to locate Larten, Kaleb, and Gavner. Every time he tried, his mind would only find fog and eventually, the strain made him feel dizzy so he stopped. For the first time in his life, Darren was truly alone.

By the time sunset came around, Darren was ready to go. The sun wasn't completely set yet, but he would be able to stand the next 30 minutes flitting in the sun if he kept to the shadows enough. Darren wasn't too keen on staying in one location for too long. He had no idea how many people were now after him. If Steve got a few buddies to help him search, who knew how long he had before they eventually tracked him down. He remembered before him and Gavner found Yanish dead after being killed by vampire hunters, he had been making wild zig zags trying to shake them off, but he couldn't. Darren wondered exactly how long he had. If a trained General couldn't escape, how was he going to?

Darren flitted for almost 2 hours to make it to Lucas Ovo's company building. When he did, he was standing in front of an impressive stone building covered in glass windows. He walked in and peered around at the large, white entryway. Nobody was there except for the person behind the help desk. The woman there gave Darren an odd look as he walked in and he realized that walking into a corporate office wearing pajamas that were dirty after a night of sleeping in a barn probably didn't look very appropriate.

Nonetheless, Darren walked up to the desk and asked the woman, "Excuse me, do you know where I can find Lucas Ovo?"

The woman looked it up at her computer. "You can find his office in room 512."

"Thank you," Darren said and made his way to the stairs. When he got to the 5th floor, it was easy finding room 512. There was a name plate next to the door with Lucas' name on it.

Darren knocked on the door. There was a muffled, "Come in." from inside and Darren opened the door. The room was small and was made smaller by the filing cabinets covering every wall. There was a small desk in the middle of the room with diplomas and certificates hanging on its front and sides.

Lucas looked up from one of the open filing cabinets, took one look at Darren, and furrowed his brow. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Lucas Ovo?" Darren asked.

"Yes," Lucas answered. "Who are you?"

Darren stepped into the office. "My name is Darren. I'm a friend of your sister. Mya said you may be able to help me."

"Help you with what?" Lucas walked over. He looked down at Darren's hands. "Ah… You're a vampire. Close the door and come in."

Darren did as he said, shocked he didn't seem scared or shocked by being in a vampire's presence and how he knew a vampire by their fingertips so naturally. Lucas stepped back over to his filing cabinet and Darren asked,

"How do you know about vampires?"

Lucas answered, "Our father was a pathologist. He had a few friends who came to him with…special dietary needs. He helped them by giving them blood from the recently deceased."

"Really?" Darren was shocked.

Lucas smiled at him. "He used to tell Mya and I all about vampires and how we shouldn't fear them. He was a big friend of vampires. He wanted me to follow in the family business, but I chose chemistry instead."

Darren smiled back. "That's lucky for me because I need a chemist."

"What _do_ you need?" Lucas asked seriously.

Darren reached into his bag and pulled out the small bottle filled with the serum he swiped from Steve. "A vampire hunter injected me with this. Can you find out what's in it?"

Lucas took the bottle in his hand and examined the liquid inside. "Do you feel any different since it happened?"

"Yes," Darren answered. "Since then, all my mental capabilities as a vampire have vanished. Vampires can locate other vampires with their mind and send short messages to vampires we have linked with. Now, all that is gone. I can't do any of it."

"Hm." Lucas walked back to his desk and grabbed a legal pad sitting on the edge and a pen. "I would need to take this into the lab in order to figure out what's in it." He made a note on the legal pad and placed it with the serum inside his desk drawer. "But I can't do it now. There are too many people in the lab who will notice. I'll have to do it after hours."

Darren bit his lip. "How long will it be until then?"

Lucas checked his watch. "The lab should be empty within an hour. You can stay here until then. I'm not expecting anybody."

Darren nodded and found a seat by the wall. Darren wasn't crazy about staying in the building for too long. He had no idea how far back Steve was. He figured Steve would surely come after him to get his serum back, but who knew how long that would take? He and a group of vampire hunters could be busting through the front door at that moment. Pushing those thoughts aside, Darren looked around Lucas' office.

He thought about what Lucas told him about his father and vampires. If their father was an ally of vampires, then Mya and Lucas should be proud they were upholding that legacy by helping him out. Despite everything that was going wrong, Darren found relief in having a friend like Mya.

The hour passed slowly, but eventually Lucas led Darren down to the lab. He used his ID to unlock the door. Everything was white and silver.

Darren looked around at the room at the equipment he had no idea how to use and Lucas took him to one of the silver tables.

"Ever been to a chemistry laboratory?" Lucas asked.

Darren shook his head. "It looks very…sterile."

Lucas laughed and put on his lab coat.

"Alright, lets get to work."


	11. Larten's Great Loss

Back at Vampire Mountain, everyone was busy in preparation for the upcoming Council. The first half of the vampires expected to show up had already arrived and the Festival was getting ready to begin within the next couple of weeks. As quartermaster, Larten was the busiest among everyone but he wasn't too busy to notice that Darren hadn't arrived yet. Larten didn't think it too odd. There were still quite a few vampires who had yet to show up for Council, so Larten continued with his work. He made Darren a room of his own to surprise him with when he arrived.

However, when most of the vampires had arrived to the Mountain and Darren had not, Larten grew concerned. He was sure that Darren would have come find him when he arrived, but he checked the names in the Hall of Osca Velm regardless. When Darren's name wasn't on the list, Larten grew curious. He didn't think Darren would forget, but it was possible that he lost track of time so Larten sat at a table in the Hall and closed his eyes. Reaching out with his mind, he searched for Darren's mental signal, but nothing was there. He felt his heart stop. He forced himself to take a deep breath before reaching out again, this time focusing harder. He stayed that way for longer than before, but still, Darren was nowhere to be found.

Larten opened his eyes and thought. At first, Larten thought that there must be some other explanation or some mistake. His mind made up a string of possible explanations, each getting more ridiculous than the last. Maybe Darren was too far away, or maybe the rocks in the mountain were blocking his telepathy. Larten disregarded those as soon as he thought them, knowing that they weren't true. If Darren didn't have a mental signal to find, then that could only mean one thing and Larten knew what it was.

Larten sat there for a long while. It wasn't until the previously empty hall filled with a few vampires came in to add more names to the list on the wall that Larten put on a straight face and quietly exited the hall. No one spoke to him as he walked through the halls of Vampire Mountain and for that he was grateful. He went straight to his own room, walking quickly and turning his face away from the people he passed.

His pace slowed as he passed through the threshold of his cell. Once inside, he slowly lowered himself onto the lid of his coffin. He brought his head into his hands and took a deep breath. The air suddenly felt thin. He kept his head down and ran his hands through his short crop of hair.

Right at that moment, there was a knock from the doorway. Larten looked up, quickly regaining his composure. Kurda peered in and smiled.

"We are ready to set a date. All we are waiting on is Darren. Do you know when he'll be arriving?"

Quietly, Larten responded, "He will not be coming." His voice came out low and weak.

Kurda was about to ask why, but then he met Larten's eyes and his expression told him everything.

"Oh…" Kurda fell silent, not knowing what to say. "What happened?" he finally asked.

"I do not know." Larten turned his head away.

Kurda sighed. "Larten I am so sorry."

Larten said nothing and turned his head away, wishing nothing more than to be alone.

Luckily, Kurda got the message. "I will inform the other Princes. We were only waiting on Darren. The festivities will probably start tomorrow night." Kurda left and Larten let out the breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding.

The Princes in attendance for the Festival were Kurda, Mika, Arrow, and Vancha. They were all shocked and saddened by Kurda's news. They were silent until Mika asked, "How is Larten?"

Kurda shrugged, "He was very quiet, but I could see it on his face; he is taking this very hard."

Vancha went to comfort Larten and stayed with him until the welcoming ceremony the following night. He found Larten alone in the storerooms. Larten was thankful for Vancha's company. He understood Larten was not in the mood to talk, so he sat quietly with his friend.

Eventually, Larten spoke, "Thank you, sire."

Vancha squeezed Larten's shoulder. "What are you doing down here?"

Larten paused. He was hesitant to tell Vancha why he had walked down to the storerooms, but after a moment, he pulled a box closer to him and opened it.

"I was looking through something," Larten answered, "I am a bit embarrassed since it is not in vampire ways to hold on to things like this, but I could not resist."

Vancha looked inside the box and saw children's clothes, toys, and trinkets he assumed were Darren's at one point in time. Vancha said nothing, but looked to Larten with a neutral if not sympathetic expression.

"I did not save everything from Darren's childhood," Larten explained, "Only a few things that were significant."

Vancha pulled out one piece of clothing.

"What's significant about this?" he asked curiously.

"Darren's first jumper," Larten answered. His expression softened as his mind fell back into memories. "I made that out of one of my shirts. It was the first thing I ever made him."

Vancha and Larten continued sifting through the box with Larten explaining the story behind each thing. The last one Vancha pulled out was the blanket Darren was wrapped in when Larten found him. Larten took it in his hands and fell silent.

Vancha's hand returned to Larten's shoulder. He didn't approve of Larten holding onto items from Darren's past, but he could tell how distraught Larten was and kept his opinions to himself.

"I remember it so clearly," Larten finally said. "Walking through the forest, I found him in the snow and I picked him up. It is hard to explain, but the first time his eyes focused on me and hand reached out…I was someone new." Larten shook his head. "He had me."

Larten placed the blanket back in the box and closed it. "I should not keep this."

Vancha thought carefully before responding. "I do not think you should dwell on the past. Life only moves forward. However, this circumstance is different. Every vampire that turns does so knowing that they will never have children and make their peace with that. You fell into fatherhood by chance and in every way but by blood, Darren was your son and that will not be easy to get past. Maybe keeping something of his until you move on will help you."

Larten said nothing.

Vancha gave Larten's shoulder one more squeeze before standing up. "I hope to see you at the Festival. Join me for a drink and we will toast his name."

Larten didn't respond and Vancha left him alone. Larten no longer wanted to deal with it and he returned to his cell with a blank expression, thinking of nothing but the steps he was taking. He fell asleep and dreamed of nothing.

The next night, Larten woke up feeling numb. He was neither sad nor excited about the coming festivities. He showed up at the welcoming ceremony dressed as formally as the rest and listened respectfully as the gong was rung and the Princes gave their welcome speech.

"I am sure we are all eager to get the festivities rolling," Mika said. "But first the roll call of those who've passed on to Paradise since last we met for Council."

Arrow called out the names of all the vampires who'd died during the past twelve years. As each name was announced, the vampires in the Hall made the death's touch sign and muttered in unison, "Even in death, may he be triumphant."

Darren's name was last to be called. There were several vampires in the crowd who hadn't heard the news and were shocked by the death of the famed Boy of Snow. Upon hearing it, Larten felt a sudden rush of bereavement. He bowed his head and made the death's touch sign, but his voice quivered when he spoke, "Even in death may he be triumphant."

After Darren's name was called, there was a moment silence before Vancha clapped his hands and said, "There will be no more official business until the festival's closing. Luck to you, my friends."

"Luck!" the vampires shouted and the festivities began. Larten only vaguely heard the hollering of his comrades who were tossing their capes off, roughly hugging each other, and chanting, "Luck! Luck! Luck!"

Though Larten was only then starting to truly feel the weight of what he'd lost, he was every bit as composed as before. He shed no tears in the midst of the crowds. The next several hours would be filled with fights and duels, but Larten wanted no part of it. He did not follow everyone to the gaming halls, but instead returned to his cell. It was only then, when he was alone and far enough away from everyone else, that he wept freely, and his cries faded into the next cold, lonely dawn.

 **Author's Note:**

 **I'm sorry this chapter is short and sad but hold tight! It gets better! :)**


	12. The Ovo Siblings

A/N: Okay. This update took WAY too long! I'm sorry about that. I got another fic idea and I took the past few months writing it and put this one aside for a little while, but I'm back! My other story is turning out really well and I might be posting it soon, so if you want to follow me to keep an eye out for it, then go for it! 😊 Here's chapter 12!

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Darren sat watching Lucas work for several hours. It was slightly boring, but Darren was fascinated by his work. Lucas tried explaining what he was doing in the beginning, but most of the terms and processes went right over Darren's head. Now, they sat silently except for Lucas occasionally asking Darren about his condition and asking him to guess the dosage he received.

Eventually, Lucas stepped away from the lab table. "Can I take a sample of your blood?" he asked.

Darren furrowed his brow. "How are you going to do that?"

Lucas pulled a syringe out of the drawer. "With a needle," he answered simply.

Darren looked nervous. He had never had his blood drawn with a needle before.

Lucas prepared Darren's arm to have his blood drawn. He wiped off the area with disinfectant and tied a tourniquet around his upper arm. Darren watched with fascination as Lucas prepared the needle and bottles. It barely hurt when Lucas inserted the needle and Darren watched as the blood slowly made its way through the syringe and into the tube. Lucas filled three tubes with his blood before taking the needle out and wiping down the small puncture wound.

"Thank you," Lucas said as he walked back to the lab table. He put a drop of Darren's blood on a small, clear slate and placed it under a microscope. Again, it was quiet.

Later in the night, Lucas stepped away from the table with a yawn. He pulled off his rubber gloves and tossed them in a trash bin.

Darren looked at him hopefully, but Lucas' somber expression caused it to quickly diminish.

Lucas spoke, "I could identify most of the chemicals in the serum you gave me. I found traces of mercury and other neurotoxins that probably explains the decline in your mental faculties. I examined your blood and vampire blood is significantly more resilient than a human's, which is why you haven't suffered any of the more severe symptoms of mercury poisoning, and it also explains why your head felt foggy when you tried to reach out with your mind."

Darren stared, "So, what does this mean?"

Lucas sighed, pausing before saying, "It means I don't think I can help you."

Darren's heart fell. "Why not?"

Lucas stepped around the lab table and leaned against it. With his arms crossed, he continued, "I am a chemist, not a doctor. I don't know how to treat mercury poisoning in a human; you can forget about me being able to treat a vampire! All I could do was figure out what this serum was made of, but curing you…. I'm sorry."

Darren sighed and dropped his head. Although he only knew Lucas for a few hours, he had let himself get his hopes up so high. It had seemed too good to be true: a vampire ally who knew a thing or two about science was willing to help him, but now that was done, over. Darren felt his dream of being cured shatter. What was he going to do? The Festival of the Undead was 2 years away. With vampire hunters trailing him, he couldn't possibly risk leading them to vampire mountain by going back. Would he be able to lose them by then? Would he even survive that long?

He remembered when he and Gavner found the missing generals, who were all in bad shape from being hunted. One had been killed by the time they reached him. Darren wondered what had happened to the other two. They told of their plans to return to the mountain. Did they make it? Or had vampire hunters caught up with them too?

It wasn't that Darren was afraid of dying - it was vampire way to face death with honor and bravery – but Darren had hoped he would have a chance for his friends and comrades to know what became of him. He dreaded the thought of his father not knowing how or when he passed to Paradise and he certainly didn't want to die without being able to feel Larten, Kaleb, or Gavner in his mind.

Darren looked up at Lucas with a frown and drooped eyebrows. His eyes already had bags under them from being awake for so long, but the exhaustion paired with the disappointment only made Lucas' guilt worsen. Without knowing what to say, Lucas chose not toj say anything and held out the bottle of serum and the list of ingredients. Darren looked down at them, sighed, and took them in his hands. With his shoulders slumped low and his hopes even lower, he turned to leave.

"Thank you anyway," he said over his shoulder, and headed to the door.

As he approached the exit, Lucas' cellphone rang.

"Hello?" he answered. Darren didn't stick around to hear the conversation. He needed to figure out what he was going to do next. As he got halfway down the hallway, he heard the door behind him open.

"Darren?" he heard Lucas call.

Darren turned. Lucas was jogging towards him, a look of worry plastered on his face.

"What's wrong?" Darren asked.

"It's Mya," Lucas said, catching up to him. "Something happened. Will you come with me?"

Darren nodded, and the pair rushed out of the building.

The drive back was long and quiet. It was still night so the roads were next to empty. Darren was thankful that there wasn't sunlight, since cars humans drove were covered in windows. The tension in the car only increased when Lucas turned onto the street the diner was on and found it surrounded by lit up police cars and the diner was lined with police tape.

There were officers surrounding the building and a crowd of people trying to take a peek at whatever they could of what was going on inside. Darren and Lucas got out of the car and rushed over. They pushed through the crowd to get to the front. When they got there, they were shocked by what they saw. The diner's windows were shattered and the stones used to break them were scattered across the ground. Inside the diner. Darren could make out tipped tables and chairs, and the mugs that were kept on the shelves behind the counter were knocked off and shattered. All the damage was amplified as the diner stood, lit by the constant flashing of red and blue light. They shone as a spotlight on the place where Darren spent most of his free years and to see it broken hurt him more than he could admit.

But the broken windows, tables, and mugs he could deal with. Those things can be fixed and the Midnight Diner could be up and running again in a few months, but there was more. Illuminated in the flashing lights of the police cars was large, dark writing. The crude letters were clearly smeared over the brick and wood of the building quickly and sloppily, but it's message was clear as day,

"THIS IS A WARNING TO ALL FRIENDS OF BLOODSUCKERS"

Darren couldn't tell what it was written with, but whatever the liquid was, it was dark and dripped partially down the wall. As if Darren's anger wasn't high enough, he then saw something that made it swell to a blind rage he had never experienced.

The paramedics rolled a gurney out of the diner and towards an ambulance parked near the scene. On it was a still figure covered by a sheet. Lucas, who had been at Darren's side, rushed forward to the officers.

"Excuse me," he called. A twinge of panic was audible in his voice. "Excuse me!" he said louder. He was stopped by a different officer and Lucas craned his neck to get a better look. Darren rushed forward to follow and appeared at Lucas' side, but he didn't acknowledge that he was there. They overheard two of the officers talking,

"She was found in the office in the back. I think she's the manager."

Lucas and Darren froze with dread. They killed Mya. Darren was shocked. If he had thought Steve would go after an innocent woman, he would have told her to hide, but he honestly didn't think she'd be in any danger.

Darren sighed heavily, then slowly turned to face Lucas, who was still staring straight ahead. He continued staring with an unreadable expression, even after the ambulance had driven away.

"Lucas?" Darren said hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

Instead of responding, Lucas turned and walked back to his car. Darren followed, walking a pace behind him. Lucas opened his car door and paused. Without looking up at Darren he said, " _They_ killed her, didn't they?" With the way he emphasized 'they' Darren knew who he was talking about.

"Yes," Darren answered. "I'm so sorry. If I had known they would come after her I would have…" He stopped, knowing would-haves and self-pity were useless.

Lucas looked up and met Darren's eye. "If you got your mental abilities back, could you beat them? Could you avenge my sister?"

Darren eyed Lucas carefully. "Yes…"

Lucas looked back down and took a moment to think. Finally, he said, "Then I'll help you make a cure."

"Really?" Darren couldn't mask the relief in his voice. Then his tone got serious. "Are you sure? They killed Mya because she was associated with me. They could come after you too. I would do what I can to protect you, but it still puts you in danger."

"I don't care," Lucas said. "I refuse to do nothing while those monsters are still out there."

Darren nodded. "I understand. And thank you."

Lucas finished opening his car door. "Then let's go."

When they got in the car, Darren and Lucas began creating a plan. Lucas had to arrange Mya's funeral, but after that, they would begin working on making a cure for the serum. Darren told Lucas that it was too dangerous to keep working in his lab. The vampire hunters could easily find him there.

"And the fact that I took the bottle of serum from Steve means they will probably be looking for me harder than ever in order to get it back."

They agreed to find a more hidden location. Lucas took them both back to his lab and he began packing up the equipment he would need.

"Won't anyone notice this stuff gone?" Darren asked.

Lucas replied, "Everything I'm taking is mine. I brought it with me when I started working here. They'll see my stuff gone and assume I left. They might be a little confused and that throws getting a recommendation letter out the window, but at least I'm not stealing."

Once they got everything in his car, Lucas got a call asking him to identify Mya's body. He was stone-faced as they drove back to the tiny town that used be such a happy place for Darren.

Darren prided Lucas in keeping his composure. He did not cry. He stayed focused on planning one detail at a time, keeping his mind on the tasks at hand.

Darren wanted to stay for Mya's funeral, but it was too dangerous. It would take several days to plan the service, and Darren didn't have the luxury of staying in one place for that long. He had no idea where Steve was. And he didn't know how many other vampire hunters would be coming after him, but he knew there were several people who caused the damage to the diner.

So, he told Lucas he would come back for him in a week and warned Lucas to keep a low profile until he got back to ward off suspicions and make him less of a target.

Darren traveled quickly and sporadically over the following days. He went in no particular direction and changed it constantly and abruptly. He was careful to leave as little evidence of him being somewhere as possible. While he ran, he thought back to home. He wanted nothing more than to return to Vampire Mountain where his father and friends were, but that was no longer an option. He had to stay with Lucas and he couldn't risk leading the vampire hunters to the vampires' only sanctuary.

Darren thought of the promise he made to his father before he left. He had said he would return for the next Council. The Festival of the Undead was two years away. Darren was sure that they would have this whole thing sorted by the time two years have passed…


	13. The Hideout and Stories Once Told

Two years later, Darren and Lucas were in a small cabin they found up north. It snowed often and was always cold. They had been there for a little over a year. When Darren had returned for Lucas, he found Lucas was already packed and ready to go. They drove for a while, neither really sure where a safe place to go would be. As they traveled, they came across the vampire hunters once. They had been following their car for days and when they finally stopped, the hunters attacked. Darren managed to fight them off with few injuries, but Steve wasn't among them, which surprised Darren.

Leaving the dead hunters where they were, Darren and Lucas rushed off, deciding to ditch the car and travel by foot.

They hadn't had another encounter. Darren led Lucas north, figuring the further north they got, the harder it would be for the vampire hunters to follow them because of the cold. He knew he had to be conscious of Lucas still being human. They bought a heavy parka for him to wear as it got snowier and that was when they found the cabin. It was empty and looked as though it hadn't been occupied in ages. There was a wooden table on one side of the large room and a bedframe with no mattress on the other. To the far right of the door there was a fireplace. Apart from that, there was nothing but the wooden framework.

There was only one door and window in the small cabin, making it the perfect hideout. One entrance was easier to guard and the cabin was far enough away from civilization that it was unlikely the hunters would follow them, especially since the cold was well-below freezing, even during the day. Darren had a light jacket on, and thick shoes, but nothing else that would fight against the cold. Lucas had several layers, his parka, shoe boots, a scarf, a hat, and thick gloves.

"How are you living like that?" he asked one day in disbelief as they trudged through the snow, looking for shelter.

Darren shrugged. "Vampires have a higher tolerance than humans do. The cold doesn't bother us too much." Darren smirked. "Actually," he added. "When traveling through snow, we often chuck our shoes aside and wear nothing but a thin shirt and pants."

Lucas shivered. "C-c-crazy."

Darren had laughed.

Currently, Lucas was working on his serum. He was alone in the cabin, but that didn't last much longer. Darren walked through the door, with a snow leopard draped over his shoulder.

When he opened the door, a gust of icy wind swept through, making Lucas shiver, but Darren closed the door quickly. The fire he had made before going out to hunt reheated the small space quickly.

Darren dropped the dead cat on the ground. Vampires could not eat cats because their blood was poisonous to them, but if Darren bled it thoroughly and roasted it, it would make a fine meal. Without a word, Darren began quietly preparing the leopard to be eaten. He tried his best to be as silent as possible, not wanting to disturb Lucas' work. He also had quite a bit on his mind as well. He was worried. Two years had passed that Lucas was working on a cure and they were no closer. The Festival of the Undead was due to happen in a few months and Darren knew that vampires would already be arriving.

Larten would surely notice when Darren did not arrive and try to locate him mentally. If he didn't already think Darren was dead, he would soon. Darren dreaded the thought of that happening. He wanted to rush to the mountain and tell him that he was alright, but it was not safe enough yet. Plus, he couldn't leave Lucas alone for that long. Darren remained lost in thought as he continued making their dinner on auto-pilot.

Lucas spared a few glances at Darren as he sliced up and hung the leopard to let the blood drip out in the buckets they had found under the bedframe when they first arrived. He was no longer surprised that Darren was able to fight and kill such a great predator. He was aware of a vampire's elevated strength and physical agility. It did still disturb him to see the animal before eating it, but he hid it well and ate without complaint. After all, Darren's hunting was the only source they had to eating every day, and he really was quite skilled.

He felt guilty that the process wasn't going as smoothly as they had hoped. Every lead Lucas found in finding a cure turned into a dead end. Lucas finished making yet another serum he had hoped would have some effect. Lucas thought that if he could find a way to remove the mercury from Darren's body, then there would be nothing left to block his vampire mental functions. However, he was unsure how to go about doing it. He had initially tried using chelation to remove the mercury from his bloodstream, but blood is mostly water. Since mercury wasn't water soluble, only 5% of the mercury in Darren's body was actually in his blood. He gave Darren succimer, which was a chemical that latched itself to the mercury and was soluble enough to work its way through his body and got processed through and excreted.

After getting several doses of this, Darren had removed the mercury from all of his blood, but not his organs. That was where things got really tricky. Most organs were mostly fat and that was where the mercury attached itself. Lucas knew that the organs that were at risk were not organs like the heart because that was mostly muscle. However, the brain was 60% fat. Lucas could only guess the dosage and the amount of mercury Darren was exposed to, so it was difficult to assess the damage and risk he was in.

If Lucas was able to somehow isolate the mercury from Darren's cells, then he could flush it out of his system, but he just didn't know how.

When Darren finished cooking the leopard and cut it up with his knife. He put Lucas' share on a block of wood that he made into a makeshift plate and walked over to where he was working. When he placed the meal on the other side of the table, Lucas looked up from his notebook and stepped away from his work station.

At first, they ate in silence. Darren spoke first,

"How's the work coming?"

Lucas swallowed. "Same as yesterday. How do you feel?"

Darren shrugged. "No different from usual."

"Remember," Lucas said seriously. "If you start feeling anything different, however small, tell me immediately. Dismiss nothing. Mercury poisoning symptoms vary, so anything can be a sign that you're getting worse."

Darren nodded. "I will. Is there anything I can help with?"

Lucas shook his head. "Probably not. I tried explaining to you my research before, remember?"

Darren chuckled. Lucas had tried explaining what chelation was and Darren's eyes glazed over. Instead, he just trusted that Lucas knew what he was doing and let him experiment and try treatments as he saw fit.

"What are we going to do with the rest of the leopard?" Lucas asked. "We wont finish it tonight."

"We can save it and it eat over the next couple of days," Darren said simply. "It's not like we won't find ice out here."

Lucas chuckled. "True." He put the woodblock aside and stretched. "I should get back to work."

"Let me know if you need any help." Darren went to the fireplace to add firewood and clean up the blood of the snow leopard.

Back in Vampire Mountain, the Festival came and went and the Mountain was once again in its usual quiet and slow state. However, there was a sadness that weighed heavily on all who remained. Everyone could feel the grief their quartermaster was going through, but no one knew how to help him. He does his job as if by habit alone. His mind seemed always elsewhere, likely not far from the boy he lost. When he finished his work, he seemed to walk the length of the mountain before laying down to sleep late.

Kaleb visited him often when he was finished with his guarding shift. He shared Larten's grief and missed his closest friend more every day. They spent their time together in silence at first. Then, after a few days of sitting in silence, Kaleb decided to break it:

"Do you remember when Darren took in that bat with a broken wing?"

For a moment, Larten did nothing, but then the corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile. Kaleb took that as a sign to keep going.

"He was so determined to make it healthy." Kaleb smiled as he continued, "I told him, 'Darren, we work in the kitchens. Your job is to turn bats into stew.'"

"I remember," Larten said, "He did not understand the irony."

Kaleb chuckled. "Even after the bat healed, Darren refused to let any of us cook it. He tied a string to its foot so we could recognize it and said that it was strictly off-limits."

After that, they spent their evenings talking and sharing stories about Darren. As the weeks passed, they had told every story they could think about Darren, some as amusing as the bat story, others as miniscule as the time Darren became obsessed with a book Paris had given him about William Shakespeare.

Larten had groaned. "He would not stop talking about it!" He remembered finally snapping at Darren and telling him he was allowed to tell one more interesting fact about Shakespeare before he could never speak of it again.

Eventually, they found themselves running out of things to say. When they realized that they had run out of stories to tell each other, it had brought on a new wave of sadness. Those stories were their last connection to the young vampire and it felt as though that was over as well.

As their chuckles from the last story died down and faded into silence, they looked down in their laps awkwardly, racking their brains to think of another story, like trying to ring out the last drop of oil from a rag, but it was dried up. When they met eyes again, they both looked crestfallen. After a moment, Larten sighed.

"Well, Kaleb, this was great. It really helped me."

Kaleb smiled. "Me too. I thought it would."

Then, something shot into Kaleb's mind. He did have one more story to tell, but he hesitated. However, he did not want to leave one story untold. He spoke up,

"I do have one more story. It happened years ago, but I told Darren I wouldn't say…"

Larten raised an eyebrow, instantly intrigued. "Oh?"

Kaleb explained, "He mostly feared the nicknames he'd get if people knew, but I suppose now…"

Larten looked at him expectantly.

"Ok," Kaleb started. "So it was the end of the night and the two of us were sent to dump the bat bones and other things we couldn't use in the river to be taken out of the mountain, so we went to the water closet with these big vats of bat guts and stuff. They were heavy, so when Darren tipped his over, he dropped it. When he reached down to catch it, he slipped and fell. The vat of ended up getting dumped all over him. And he was always so skinny, it turned out that he was actually thin enough to fall _into_ the hole in the water closet."

Larten let out an unexpected laugh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can see why he did not want that story to get out," he said with a smirk.

"And he was fine," Kaleb added, beginning to laugh as well. "He managed to climb his way out, but he was soaked. After he took a shower he made me swear not to utter a word to anyone."

After that story was told, Kaleb left and Larten was left alone with his thoughts. He appreciated Kaleb coming to see him and encouraging him to talk about Darren. He knew he would have just bottled everything up otherwise, but now that they have run out of stories to tell, there was a new air of sadness that filled him. However, this one felt emptier, like just the echo of his initial grief was left.

He decided to go for a walk, not feeling tired. All the vampires in the mountain had laid down for the day, so the Halls were empty. He worked his way through the tunnels and eventually made his way outside. He stood in the cold, finding the cutting chill refreshing. He gazed around the snowy forests and clearings and his mind shot back to the last time he stood out in the snow like this: the night he found Darren. Larten shook his head quickly, pushing those thoughts aside and began to walk.

He didn't get very far before he saw a figure standing in the distance, and it was a figure he'd recognize anywhere. He stepped closer and the stout man in the yellow rainboots did not move. He stared at Larten and as Larten began walking closer, he checked the red heart-shaped watch in his pocket.


	14. Journey Home

**A/N: This chapter gets kinda sciencey, but not too sciencey. I also had to break the rules of science a bit to make it work and to fill in for what I don't know (I'm an artist, not a scientist!)**

Normally Larten feared Mr. Tiny, but he approached the man without hesitation, determined to see what answers the seemingly all-knowing man could give him. When he stood a few feet away from Mr. Tiny, Larten looked at him cagily. Mr. Tiny gave no emotion in return.

"How has life been treating you Larten?" he asked in a sickly-sweet voice.

"I think you know," was all Larten said.

Mr. Tiny nodded and his expression twisted into something resembling fake sympathy. "Ah, yes. Poor thing. Darren was a decent vampire. I am quite disappointed in him actually."

"What happened to him?" Larten asked immediately. "You know. I know you do."

Mr. Tiny smiled. "Let's just say he had an unfortunate run-in with a group of vampire hunters in America."

Larten fought to remain composed. He realized then that he would rather not hear the details. Instead he asked, "What did you mean by 'disappointed'?"

Mr. Tiny started picking under his fingernails, as if bored. "I had hoped he would have lasted longer. He failed at the first test I threw at him."

"What test?" Larten stood still, every part of him tense.

At first, Mr. Tiny didn't say anything, so Larten continued,

"The last time you were here you said that Darren's destiny would come when he left the mountain. Does it have to do with that?"

Mr. Tiny dropped his hand to his side. "I wanted to test a theory I had. I wanted to know what would be necessary to create the perfect warrior. The vampires have a rough journey ahead. I did not want your end to come quickly – that would be no fun for me – so I decided to give you a gift to fight with. I thought if I found a child who was raised by a vampire and spend his life around vampires, then he would rise above the rest and become the clan's most noble fighter." Mr. Tiny rolled his eyes. "I can't say I was impressed."

Larten took in this new information. Mr. Tiny just confirmed what Larten had suspected for years: that it was no coincidence he found Darren in the snow that night and Mr. Tiny _did_ want him for something.

"What rough times are coming?" Larten asked.

Mr. Tiny checked his watch, then put it back in his pocket. "You will find out. In time."

Mr. Tiny turned to leave, and Larten let him. As soon as Mr. Tiny was out of view, Larten rushed back to the Mountain. He immediately requested a meeting with the Princes claiming to have something urgent to discuss. They saw him within a few hours. Paris and Mika were the only Princes in the Mountain

As Larten spoke to the Princes, he told them about his encounter with Mr. Tiny that night, as well as the conversation he had with Mr. Tiny nearly 30 years prior.

When he finished, the Princes looked disturbed and troubled. Mika spoke first.

"Larten, you should have told us about what Mr. Tiny told you at that Council."

"I know," Larten replied. "But I feared what you might do after finding out Darren was part of a plan of Desmond Tiny's. I let sentiment cloud my judgement and for that, I apologize."

Paris nodded. "Let's focus on the topic at hand. What did Mr. Tiny mean by saying that rough times were coming?"

"He did not say," Larten answered. "All he said was that rough times were coming and he wanted Darren so we did not fall too quickly."

Paris and Mika shared a worried glance. "And…" Paris paused and cleared his throat. "Now that Darren has 'failed', what does that mean for us?"

Larten's face fell. "I do not know."

"We should inform the other Princes," Mika announced.

"Agreed." Paris stood and stretched.

They arranged for Mika to leave to find Kurda, Arrow, and Vancha and tell them everything that happened. Larten was dismissed and laid in his coffin, trying to sleep with little success.

Meanwhile, Darren and Lucas were having a promising day.

Darren had been lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling with little interest. Lucas was hard at work, and Darren stayed alert and focused on listening for any approaching footsteps. The crunching snow outside made detecting someone easy.

Suddenly, Lucas called Darren over. Darren approached the table where Lucas was looking down into his microscope intently. When he was next to Lucas, he looked up.

"I think I've got something." Lucas explained his theory, but Darren didn't understand even half of it with all the scientific terms he used. By the end, Lucas said,

"I tested it on a blood sample you gave me and look."

Lucas moved aside so Darren could look down at the microscope. He saw his blood cells, but didn't see anything spectacular.

"What am I looking at?" he asked.

"Do you see the sort of clear layer surrounding some of the cells?"

"Yes." Darren did see the clear layer Lucas was talking about. It looked like red marbles wrapped in saran wrap.

Lucas continued, "That's the mercury. When I added this solution I made to it, it drew out the mercury. It attracts it like a magnet. In theory, if I give you this, it will extract the mercury from the fat in your organs and get dissolved back into your bloodstream. Then, I can give you more chelation treatments to get the mercury out of your blood and you, my friend, are mercury-free."

Darren looked up from the microscope. "Lucas, you're a genius."

Lucas smiled.

"How long before that's ready?" Darren asked eagerly.

Lucas thought. "I need a few days to make enough solution to counter the amount of mercury in your system and a few more to get the chelation samples ready. We should have those ready-to-go before giving you the cure. I'd say two weeks and we're there."

Darren smiled. As he went out that night to hunt for food, he felt the kind of light-heartedness that came with hope and anticipation.

Through Paris' directions in his mind, Mika located Vancha, Arrow, and Kurda. They were all equally concerned about the report. Kurda and Arrow came back to the Mountain with Mika to discuss how to continue. Vancha stayed behind, per vampire protocol to keep one Prince away from the Mountain at all times.

When the Princes all arrived back at the Mountain, everyone started talking. Paris told Larten not to say anything about what Mr. Tiny said to anyone else. If other vampires found out, it would cause a panic. That was when the rumors started.

Nobody knew what the Princes were having private meetings about and why they had locked the Hall of Princes and allowed no one to interrupt. A few vampires tried to ask Larten what he knew since a few vampires saw him go see the Princes earlier, but Larten only replied that he had no idea what the Princes were planning, which wasn't technically a lie.

Two weeks passed and Darren was sitting on the research table while Lucas got the syringe ready to administer the cure.

"I know I said this already, but I want it to be clear." Lucas stepped in front of Darren, needle in hand. "This might not work. It's not like there's any way to test this beforehand."

Darren nodded. "I understand."

Lucas took a deep breath, then took Darren's arm. Right as he was about to insert the needle, Darren stopped him. He heard a noise from outside. The pair were silent while Darren listened. There were clear footsteps circling the cabin. It only sounded like one person, so Darren quietly got off the table and crept to the door. Lucas stayed where he was and watched Darren nervously. Darren waited until he heard the footsteps near the door then swung the door open swiftly, his nails poised as a makeshift blade, ready to fight.

The figure awaiting him o the otherside, looked as surprised to see Darren as Darren was to see him. It took Darren a moment to rid of his shock and he lowered his hand.

"Vancha!" he called and a grin was on his face in an instant.

Vancha continued to stare at him, his posture indicating that he was clearly guarded.

Darren's face fell to confusion. "Sire?"

Finally, Vancha spoke. "Darren? How is this possible? You can't be here."

Darren shrugged. "Well…I am."

"But you were dead."

When Darren heard that, it confirmed that his mental signal was lost and word spread that he had died. "I didn't. I know my mental signal is gone, but I'm very much alive."

Vancha just looked confused.

"It's a long story," Darren said. "And I am so glad you're here. There are things the Princes need to know and its very urgent. Do you want to come in?"

Vancha came in and Darren briefly introduced him to Lucas, then told his whole story to Vancha, including Steve, the serum, and who Lucas was. By the time he finished, Vancha was listening thoughtfully and with a frown on his face.

"So that's why we are here. We're hiding out until Lucas can make a cure. And he's getting close. We were about to test a method out when you got here. Wait, what are you doing here?"

Vancha answered, "I'm just wandering. I didn't think there was anything out this far, but I saw the smoke from your fire and came to check it out."

Vancha shifted his stance and crossed his arms. "Vampire hunters," he tutted in disgust.

"Steve also asked me about what happens every 12 years. They have no idea where vampires go, but they are starting to notice us gone." Darren looked to Lucas, who was listening with curiosity.

Vancha replied, "What did you say?"

Darren answered, "I made up a lie about certain vampires seeking a period of solitude in caves or sewers or anywhere."

"Did he believe it?"

Darren shrugged. "He seemed to."

Vancha began pacing. "So that is why there have been vampires disappearing from mental searches." He turned to Lucas. "How close are you to making a cure?"

Lucas stuttered. "I-well, it depends. This serum I made might work. I'm a chemist, not a doctor, so this is a little out of comfort zone."

Vancha nodded and turned his attention back to Darren. "The other Princes need to know about this."

"I know," Darren said. "I wanted to go as soon as all this happened, but they were tailing me. I couldn't risk leading them to Vampire Mountain. And when we hid out here, it seemed like we lost them, but I had to stay with Lucas, just in case. He's the only person who can help get my abilities back. I didn't want to risk something happen."

"I understand," Vancha said, "but I can't get to Vampire Mountain right now. Every other Prince is there meeting about something else."

Darren sighed.

"But you can go," Vancha added. "I can stay to protect Lucas and you can leave. This information shouldn't wait."

Darren nodded. It made sense. He looked to Lucas. "Are you okay if I leave?"

Lucas replied, "I'll be fine. Does this mean we will wait on administering the cure?"

Darren asked, "How long will the treatment take?"

Lucas thought. "Maybe a week? Give or take a few days."

"Go now and get this later. It will take a few weeks to get to the Mountain. This is too urgent," Vancha inputted.

That night, Darren left. He was getting weaker from the lack of blood. He had run out of his vials a month before and had been sustaining himself on animal blood alone. However he was still efficient with his time and made it to Vampire Mountain in just under 3 weeks.

As the Mountain appeared in the distance, Darren couldn't help but smile. His pace increased and skipped a rest at t way station to get to the Mountain sooner.

Within two days Darren had crawled into one of the tunnel openings. He rested within the tunnel for a few hours, the smile staying plastered to his face.

He was home.


	15. Happy Reunion

**A/N: This chapter is kind of long. I hope that's okay, but I think you will really love it! 3**

After resting, Darren made his way swiftly through the tunnels until he got to the thick, wooden doors that blocked off the tunnels. He knocked on the doors and waited. After a moment they opened to reveal one of the Mountain's green-clad guards. As soon as they recognized Darren they opened the doors fully.

"The Princes requested your presence in the Hall of Princes immediately."

Vancha must have told the Princes he was coming and they warned the guards. Darren didn't recognize either of them. He had hoped that Kaleb would be on duty, but as the guards led him up the Mountain Darren didn't see him. They made it to the very top of the Mountain without running into anybody Darren knew.

The guards checked him over on the long path up to the Hall. Shoes were not permitted and the guards even ran a comb through his hair to check for hidden wires and blades, though the high security was more for tradition than actual need. At the end of the tunnel was a huge cavern with a large white dome.

The guard knocked four times and the door slid open almost immediately. Darren walked into the brightly lit dome and saw four of the five princes seated at the back of the Hall. All were there but Vancha, obviously.

"Greetings Darren," Paris said. His tone was warm and he smiled. The other princes were smiling too.

Darren smiled and bowed to the Princes. Almost immediately they began asking questions, which Darren answered and recounted his story. He told them about working for Mya at the diner and how she knew he was a vampire. He mentioned how Kaleb came to see him one night and that same night Steve asked him about finding a roommate. He skipped ahead a year and told them how Steve turned out to be a vampire hunter.

"He injected me with some kind of serum that blocked my mental capabilities. I couldn't reach out to anyone." As Darren spoke, the Princes listened intently, never interrupting except for with an occasional question.

Darren then explained how he knocked Steve out and left, taking the mysterious potion with him.

"Why did you not kill him?" Mika asked, sounding more intrigued than irritated.

"I'm not sure," Darren answered honestly. "I just couldn't. I had thought of him as my friend for that past year and we got along so well… Even though he tried to kill me and would if given the opportunity, I just couldn't do the same."

Mika nodded. "Did he come after you again?"

"I haven't seen him again, but there have been several other vampire hunters who have come after me, no doubt trying to get their serum back, but none succeeded."

Paris asked, "Where is the serum now?"

Darren answered, "That takes some explaining. After leaving my apartment, I stopped by the diner to say goodbye to Mya and she gave me the address of her brother, a chemist, who also knows about vampires and could possibly help me find out what was in it. He currently has it. I went to his lab and he agreed to help me figure out the ingredients. And he did. It's a mercury solution that a scientist on their end invented. Steve said he distributes it to vampire hunters across the world, like a dealer."

Kurda piped in for the first time in the conversation. "That means that not only do humans have a way of blocking our telepathy, but they also _know_ the extent of it."

The Princes looked at Kurda, visibly concerned.

"Steve knew all kinds of things," Darren continued. "He knew we could communicate and locate each other with our minds, he knew some of values, about the scars on our fingertips, how we can't be photographed, and even about Council."

This made the Princes gape.

"What?!" Arrow exclaimed.

"He didn't know about the Council specifically, or the Festival of the Undead," Darren corrected. "But he knew that _something_ happens every twelve years and tried to get me to say what it was."

"What did you say?" Paris asked.

Darren shrugged. "I lied and said that certain vampires chose to go into isolation from humans during that time."

"How did he even find out?" Mika asked.

Darren answered, "It's become common knowledge among vampire hunters apparently. Steve said that they've noticed that vampires become harder to find every twelve years and figured something happens when they go."

Darren finished his story and ended it with Lucas and his time in the cabin and the potential cure.

The Princes were quiet for a while after Darren finished. Paris finally said,

"We need to go public with this. We had been keeping quiet about the vampires who lost some of their mental capabilities because we didn't know where it was coming from, but the clan needs to be more careful and know that vampire hunters are becoming a threat."

"I agree," Mika said.

"What do we do about the chemist?" Arrow asked.

Paris replied, "Vancha said that since Darren left, vampire hunters have tried to attack twice. He fought them off without much of a problem."

Kurda turned to Darren, "You mentioned that Lucas said he'd try to find a cure. How close is he?"

"He made a solution that might work. We hadn't tested it yet." Darren shifted where he stood, the exhaustion from dodging the vampire hunters for the past three years and making the trek to Vampire Mountain finally hitting him.

"We knew already that vampire hunters were getting better at tracking. Those attacks on the chemist are only going to continue unless we can find a way to hide him until a cure can be made." Kurda spoke concisely and surely.

The Princes nodded in agreement.

"Where can the hunters not get to?" Mika asked.

They discussed several options, but none were out of vampire hunters' reach. Finally, Kurda made the suggestion that made the other Princes uneasy.

"What if he comes here?"

The Princes looked to Kurda in shock.

"No non-vampire has ever come to the Mountain before," Mika argued.

Kurda countered, "He'd be safe from vampire hunters this way. He's already proven that he comes from a family of allies and we can have access to his information quicker this way."

After much argument and reflection, Paris said, "Kurda has a point. This man is our only chance at reversing the effects. I don't particularly like it but moving him here is worth considering."

"And what about the vampire hunters?" Arrow asked.

Paris stroked his long beard as he replied, "I don't like the idea of pursuing them; they have not proven to be a big enough threat yet. As of now I am leaning towards taking no offensive action toward them. We can urge the clan to retreat from human life to avoid detection and be alert, but nothing further."

Mika argued, "If they aren't major threat now shouldn't we use that opportunity to rid of the problem completely instead of letting it fester and build?"

"No," Paris snapped, but remained composed. "If we seek them out, we risk attracting attention from humans who have no affiliation with the hunters. If they begin to notice us and see us as monsters, the number of those who hunt us will increase. We are not killers, let us not betray that fact."

They continued to discuss methods of action and decided to send Mika and Arrow out to investigate the situation and alert vampires of it. After they left, Vancha would bring Lucas and his equipment to the Mountain for him to resume his research there. In the meantime, The Princes would hold a meeting with all the vampires in the Mountain present and update them on the matter-at-hand.

The meeting was to take place the following night. The Princes dismissed Darren to eat a proper meal and rest. Darren was exhausted and he had run out of blood vials a month earlier, so he was feeling weak and light-headed, but he was more eager to track down his father and Kaleb before he could even think of food and sleep.

Darren went straight down to the storerooms. He knew that at this time of day Larten would be working and taking inventory, so he wasted no time stopping by his chambers first. His steps were rapid and he practically jogged down the tunnels. When he stepped into the storerooms, he saw a flash of familiar red disappear behind a stack of crates. He couldn't stop the wide grin that formed as he walked around the stack and saw Larten Crepsley, his father, standing by an open crate, his back to Darren.

Darren felt his throat close. This was the first time he was seeing his father in almost twelve years. He blinked away tears and called out, "Dad?"

His voice quivered and Larten turned around abruptly. When he saw Darren standing there, his eyes went wide and his face paled. Slowly, he lowered himself onto a crate next to him. He blinked, shook his head, then blinked again. " _Darren?_ " he gasped.

Darren let out a nervous laugh. "Hi Dad."

Larten stood up and walked over to Darren cautiously, as if not believing his eyes. "Have I gone mad?" he whispered more to himself than to Darren.

"I hope not," Darren answered anyway. His vision blurred as tears filled his eyes, but he tried to keep his voice steady. Darren wanted to race forward and give his father a hug, but he looked so spooked that Darren didn't want to shock him.

Larten reached out and touched Darren's arm. When he felt that Darren was in fact solid and real, he took Darren into a back-breaking hug. It was so sudden that Darren let out a gasp but returned the hug with the same amount of enthusiasm. Darren buried his face in his father's shoulder and Larten placed his hand on the back of Darren's head.

They stayed that way for a while. When they finally did pull apart, they were smiling like idiots and there were tears streaming down their faces.

Larten's hands were on either side of Darren's face and he softly said, "I do not understand. How can you be here?"

Darren's smile didn't waver as he wiped his eyes and said, "It's a long story."

Larten looked at Darren and noticed how tired he was. There were dark bags under his eyes and he had a few new scars. From hugging him, he could feel how thin he was. He was also paler than normal and looked weary. He lowered his hands and wiped away his own tears.

"You can fill me in later," he said. "You should rest."

Darren didn't argue and followed Larten up the Mountain to the chambers. He was expecting to go to the room they always shared, but to his surprise, Larten lead him further up the Mountain to a room of his own.

"I had planned on surprising you with this at the last Council," Larten explained as they walked through the Halls. "I never took this room apart though." He gestured for Darren to look inside.

When he did, he was shocked. The room wasn't much – none of the Mountain's chambers were – but it was nicer than most. It had a high ceiling and a coffin as well as a small work table off to the side. The postcards that Darren left behind were nailed to the walls and luminous lichen made the glossy pictures shimmer.

Darren turned to Larten, who said, "I thought it would be appropriate for you to start having your own room, so I put this together for you."

Darren smiled. "I love it. Thank you!" He gave Larten another hug, who welcomed it gladly. After Darren was settled, Larten went back down to the storerooms, feeling happier and warmer than he had in ages.

However, that happiness was tainted by the memory of Des Tiny's words. He always knew that Tiny had a plan for Darren and now that Larten knew a little more about it, he feared for his son more than ever.

Darren slept for a few hours, relishing in being able to allow himself fall asleep fully. After his encounter with Steve, he forced himself to stay alert and ready to act should a surprise attack come. He had been tired and restless for 3 years.

When he woke, he felt refreshed. He walked down to the Hall of Kheldon Lurt to eat and drink blood. He ran into members of the kitchen staff he used to work with and spent some time catching up with them. He didn't give anything away about his lack of mental capabilities. All would be revealed at the meeting the Princes were holding later that night. Larten came and joined him after he finished his work and they began to catch up properly.

"So what happened to you?" Larten asked. "I tried to reach out to you, but your signal was not there. Even now, when I try…" He shrugged and shook his head.

Darren swallowed the bite of bread he was chewing and responded, "Like I said, it's a long story. And I can't tell you most of it. At least, I shouldn't until after tonight."

"Tonight?" he asked curiously.

"After the meeting the Princes called for tonight," Darren clarified.

Larten was confused. He assumed that the meeting would have been about Desmond Tiny's message. "What does that have to do with you?" he asked.

Darren explained, "I had an unfortunate run-in with some vampire hunters a couple of years ago. That's why I wasn't at the last Council. They'd been trailing me and I couldn't risk leading them here, so I hid out. Vancha found me a few weeks ago and sent me here. I had some important things to tell the Princes. I actually got here several hours before you saw me but the Princes sent for me as soon as I arrived. That's what the meeting is about."

Larten nodded and Darren took a sip from his mug of blood.

"So, vampire hunters," Larten said. "If they were trailing you, why could you not just flit away?"

"I did," Darren said. He shifted to face Larten more, who was seated next to him. "They still found me. I'm still trying to figure out how exactly."

Darren continued to tell Larten about his struggles with the hunters and how Steve had tricked him.

"In a way it was my fault this happened," Darren admitted. "I should've been smarter about it. I mean, I _lived_ with a vampire hunter for a full _year_ and had no idea. I shouldn't have even stayed in that town as long as I did. I was so stupid." He looked down at his empty bowl, his shoulders slumped in shame.

"Do not chastise yourself too much," Larten said softly. "You are young and inexperienced. I too did foolish things as a young vampire."

Darren looked up. "Really?"

Larten scoffed. "I did things you would not believe!"

Darren finished telling what he could of his story. Larten had nodded proudly when he said how he untied the ropes Steve bound him with and escaped, but his voice got quiet when he talked about what happened to Mya.

"I had no idea they would do anything to her," he said, "If I had thought she was in danger I would have…" He let his voice trail off and shook his head.

Larten put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Darren pushed those thoughts aside and shook it off quickly and continued, "But that was just the last few years. The first eight years were great."

Darren started smiling and Larten returned it.

"I saw so many things;" Darren said excitedly. "The places on my postcards and more. You should see the map Kurda gave me. I've been filling it in with all the cities I've been to and its really filled up!"

Darren spoke excitedly about all the places he visited. He talked about traveling through most of Europe, then moving on to Asia. He told Larten about how he left the continent for the first time.

"No one gets anywhere by boat anymore," Darren explained. "Humans fly everywhere, which made me nervous, but if I wanted to get to any other continent I had to. The only problem was that I needed this piece of paper called a 'passport'. I eventually managed to find someone who could make me a fake one, but we couldn't use my photo, obviously, so we had to use one of someone who looked kind of like me and then make me look more like that guy and it was complicated…" Larten raised his eyebrow as Darren paused for a breath.

He continued, "But I managed and got to America. That's where I found this tiny town off of Route 66. I met Mya, she gave me a job, and that's where everything really started."

Larten asked again about his mental signal, but Darren refused to talk about it. "I want to tell you, but I don't want to tell this story any more than I have to."

"Can you tell me how long you have been like this?" Larten pressed.

Darren answered, "Since about two years before Council. I'm working on fixing it though."

There was a brief pause before Darren asked, "When did you realize?" His voice was suddenly low and serious.

Larten looked at him and sighed. "It was getting close to the Festival. Nearly every vampire had arrived. I thought it was strange that you were not here yet, so I tried searching for you."

Larten's voice was quiet. Darren could see how much pain his being gone caused and felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Larten shook his head. "It is not your fault."

"I'm surprised you didn't notice sooner," Darren commented. "You didn't check in at all while I was away?"

"I did want to spy," Larten responded. "I wanted to give you your freedom."

Darren was about to reply, but a familiar voice called his name from behind him.

Darren turned and saw Kaleb racing into the dining hall.

"Kaleb!" Darren called excitedly and stood. They embraced quickly and laughed in glee. Kaleb wore his guard uniform and had come straight from his shift.

"The whole mountain is buzzing about you being back," Kaleb said as Darren sat back down next to Mr. Crepsley. Kaleb sat down across from him and they began catching up.

"I don't get it," Kaleb said, "What happened?"

"I'll give you all the details later," Darren replied. "Tell me what been going on here."

Kaleb told him what being a guard was like, how Vanez had been training a new batch of Generals, and the last Council.

"Oh.." Kaleb suddenly looked worried. "I should apologize to you…"

Darren chuckled. "Kaleb, I only just got here. How do you already have something to apologize for?"

Kaleb winced. "I might have told the water closet story."

Darren's ears flushed with embarrassment. "You what? Kaleb!"

"You were dead!" Kaleb defended. Next to Darren, Larten was smirking.

Petra, who ran the kitchens, called out, "I don't know why you felt the need to keep it from us Bat Guts!"

The rest of the kitchen staff laughed and Darren groaned. Kaleb looked at Darren warily, unsure what his best friend would do. Even Larten had started to laugh but tried to cover it with his hand.

Darren glared and pointed a finger at Kaleb. "You took an oath."

Kaleb wrapped his green cloak around himself, hiding all but his eyes. "I know. I'm sorry."

Darren sighed. He turned and saw Larten snickering next to him. He looked at him pleadingly and Larten quickly coughed and cleared his throat.

"Sorry," he said, but was fighting not to smile.

Just then, a guard came into the hall and announced that the meeting with the Princes was about to begin.


	16. The First Human

All the vampires in the Mountain filed into the Hall of Princes and started sitting in the stands. There weren't many since it was between Councils, but nearly 40 vampires entered, chatting curiously. Darren, Larten and Kaleb went to the third row and sat down, not saying much. Darren felt everyone's eyes on him and shifted uncomfortably, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

The Princes quieted the Hall and Paris spoke, "We are giving all vampires a word of caution. Most of you are unaware of a situation that has been developing the past few years between vampires and vampire hunters."

A low murmur spread through the crowd. Paris spoke over it. "For years, vampire hunters have been no serious threat, only a mild danger that was easily avoided. However, they have become more aggressive in their advances for us and should be warned against."

Kurda said, "The humans have developed a serum that, when vampires come into contact with it, inhibits all vampiric mental abilities. They can no longer send or receive telepathic messages, locate other vampires, or be found, even through the Stone of Blood."

Larten and Kaleb looked over at Darren with solemn understanding. Darren gave them both a joyless smile before returning his attention to the Princes. Shocked gasps and shouts came from the small crowd. The Princes silenced the Hall and continued.

Paris said, "There have been several vampires who have fallen victim to the serum and many of them have been hunted down. We are urging you all to remain cautious and spread the word about the recent dangers these vampire hunters present."

Mika spoke, "Most are aware of the sudden return of the famed Boy of Snow. Darren's mental signal was lost 3 years ago and he was presumed to be dead. He was given the serum by a vampire hunter, but he escaped and stole a bottle of it."

As he spoke, many heads turned towards Darren.

Mika continued, "There is a human scientist that Darren found who comes from a family of vampire allies who has been working on creating a cure. We have decided to invite him to the Mountain to continue his research here."

Shocked whispered spread across the Hall as Arrow continued, "Vancha will be bringing him in the next month to continue his research without the threat of vampire hunters finding him before he can make a cure."

The Princes spent the rest of the time answering vampires' questions – and there was a lot! For some of them, the Princes called to Darren to answer, like what the serum feels like and how Darren found Lucas. There were a few vampires who insisted that they needed to hunt down as many vampire hunters as they could find to rid of the problem altogether, but by the time Darren, Larten, and Kaleb were exiting the Hall after the meeting, Larten and Kaleb were informed about everything.

Kaleb asked Darren more about what he'd been through, but Larten was silent. His thoughts were consumed by Desmond Tiny's ominous message. Were vampire hunters meant to be the vampires' downfall? When Mr. Tiny said that rough times were coming, he assumed it would have had something to do with the treaty between the vampires and vampaneze, but perhaps humans should not be so underestimated. Also, if Darren was alive, what did Mr. Tiny mean when he said that Darren failed? Was it not killing Steve that caused him to fail his "test"? Did this Steve have something to do with the vampires supposed downfall?

Larten was brought out of his train of thought when Kaleb said goodbye and walked off to his room to change out of his guard uniform. Darren turned to Larten and smiled.

"Do you need any help in the storeroom?" he asked.

Larten shook his head. "I am finished for the evening."

"Oh." They stood in awkward silence for moment, neither sure what to do.

"Do want to just…." Darren started. "Hang out?" The modern slang felt weird on his tongue, but he had gotten used to it in his time away.

Larten didn't comment on the phrase. "Alright," he said, smiling slightly. "That sounds nice."

They spend the remainder of the evening in Larten's chambers, talking and just enjoying each other's company.

In the next month, Mika and Arrow left the Mountain to track down vampires and spread the word of caution, which allowed Vancha to start making the trek to Vampire Mountain with Lucas. Darren spent his days helping Larten in the storerooms and pitching in here-and-there where there was need, whether that was in the kitchens, gaming halls, or livestock.

As the weeks passed and Vancha got closer, Darren set up the room where Lucas would stay. He gave him a hammock since he figured Lucas would find that more comfortable than a coffin. He also put a table in the room for his equipment along with extra candles and torches. The extra light wasn't required for vampires with heightened senses, but Lucas was human and would need the light to work.

Darren had only just finished setting up Lucas' room, which was only a few paces down from his own, and was walking back to the storerooms when he passed Vanez in the halls. The half-blind gamemaster regarded Darren kindly, but there was a discomfort that Darren noticed among not just Vanez, but other vampires as well. It was as if his presence made everyone uneasy.

"Hi Vanez," Darren said pleasantly.

Vanez nodded. He replied stiffly, "How are you, Darren?"

"Fine," Darren responded, trying not to feel the awkwardness.

Vanez moved on and Darren continued walking, trying to understand what everyone had a problem with. The kitchen staff acted just as awkward when Darren offered to help with whatever was needed. They teased him about the water closet story a bit, but it felt forced and stiff. Darren hardly ever saw Kaleb anymore since he was always busy on guard duty. Darren was lucky to talk to him as much as twice a week. Overall, the atmosphere around Vampire Mountain shifted with Darren being back.

Later that night, Darren and Larten were seated on the floor of Larten's chambers. Darren was helping him sharpen new spears that would be delivered to the gaming halls.

"This is a unique situation," Larten told him when Darren brought up everyone's discomfort. "Your name was called at the last Council. Everyone thought you were dead. Now that you are not, it is strange to see you."

Darren swiped the stone he was holding across the dull blade of the spear, making a metallic scraping noise. "But everyone knows why I was gone now, but they act like I'm some kind of a ghost. You're the only one who treats me the same as before."

"Has Kaleb been acting strangely as well?" Larten asked. He placed a sharpened spear to the side and picked up another.

Darren, meanwhile, stopped and placed the spear he was working on in his lap. "He's been fine I guess, but I also haven't seen him much except in passing between guard shifts. I just want things to be like they were."

Larten looked at Darren and smiled. "I am afraid that is not likely. At least, it will not happen until the vampire hunter situation is taken care of."

Darren sighed and picked his spear back up to continue sharpening.

When Vancha and Lucas arrived to the Mountain, the atmosphere got even tenser than before. Since a human had never been allowed in the Mountain before, nobody knew quite how to act. Everyone was curious about the scientist, but none actually approached him, except Darren.

Darren led Lucas to his room and help Lucas unpack all his equipment, which had been carefully wrapped in layers of paper to avoid damage.

"It took a lot longer than it was supposed to," Lucas said, "because I'm human and had to be careful with all this stuff. Vancha said a vampire would have made the trip several weeks shorter."

"What do you think of Vancha?" Darren asked with a smirk. He unwrapped Lucas' microscope and placed it on the table.

Lucas hesitated. "He's…nice."

"A little strange?" Darren guessed, his smile widening.

Lucas laughed. "Just a bit. I felt rude asking him, but does he wear…?"

"Animal skins?" Darren finished. "Yes. He hunts for them himself."

Lucas nodded. "Okay."

Darren's smile vanished as he asked, "So, how do you feel about all this?"

Lucas placed his now empty bag under the table and looked at Darren. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you okay with coming here?" Darren said. "I know this must all be a little strange and I realized I never asked you what you wanted. It's just that since everything that happened, things moved so fast and this is the safest place for you to work without the vampire hunters getting in the way. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Lucas shifted. "It's fine. I understand. It is a little weird, but if I keep telling myself that its for Mya, I feel better about it. I'm committed to this and if relocating here is the best choice, then I'm going to do it."

Darren smiled sadly, but before he could say anything else, Mr. Crepsley walked in.

"Is there anything you need?" he asked Lucas.

Lucas shook his head. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Lucas, this is Larten Crepsley," Darren said, "he is Vampire Mountain's quartermaster."

"Nice to meet you," Lucas said and shook Mr. Crepsley's hand. They conversed politely for a minute before Mr. Crepsley announced that he needed to get back to work.

"I'll come down to help you in a little bit," Darren said, and Mr. Crepsley left.

Lucas continued unpacking his things, and Darren helped him. A few vampires who were talking in the halls suddenly stopped as they got close to Lucas' room. Their pace slowed and they peered – not so subtly – into the room. When Darren and Lucas noticed them, they turned quickly and rushed away.

"A lot of tension in the air here," Lucas commented.

Darren's lips curled. "It doesn't normally feel like this. It's just that no one knows how to act around you."

Lucas stopped unpacking his equipment and looked over at Darren. "I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

Darren could hear the hesitation in his voice. He didn't seem to know how to act either.

"It's the situation," Darren told him, "not you."

Lucas nodded. Placing the now empty bags on the ground below the table, he slung off his backpack and pulled out several bottles and needles. "These got a little frozen on the way here, but after they thaw they should be all set to go."

"The cure?" Darren asked anxiously.

" _Potential_ cure," Lucas corrected. "This should get all the extra mercury out of your system, but we don't know that your mental capabilities will automatically come back; and if they don't, I don't think there'll be anything more I can do."

Darren nodded in understanding.

"How have you been feeling?" Lucas asked. "Experience any of the systems I warned you about?"

Darren shook his head. "I feel the same as I did when we first met. Do you need anything else?"

Lucas shook his head. "I don't think so. I do have a question, though."

Darren raised his eyebrows curiously. "What is it?"

"That man that just left," Lucas started. "Who is he exactly? Now, I haven't seen much in terms of vampires, but the dynamic between you two just seems different somehow."

Darren smirked. "He's my father."

"Oh!" Lucas chuckled, then he frowned. "Wait, but I thought vampires couldn't…"

"They can't," Darren answered, even though it wasn't a question. "When I was a baby, someone abandoned me in the forest a few miles from the mountain. Mr. Crepsley found me that night and raised me." He looked around at the stone walls and ceiling. "This is where I grew up."

"Really?" Lucas was fascinated. His own father only had limited information about vampires, but this mountain was never known and Lucas couldn't even imagine having a childhood in it. "What was that like?"

Darren shrugged. "It was fine. It's not like I had anything to compare it to."

"Did you ever leave?" Lucas asked.

"No." Darren shook his head. "In fact, I never even went outside until I was nineteen."

Lucas' eyes widened and his jaw dropped. " _Nineteen?_ "

"You were out there," Darren said pointedly. "It is far too cold for a human to go out in without heavy jackets and boots that Vampire Mountain just doesn't have; and I was a child on top of that. I couldn't go outside until I was a half-vampire."

Lucas let out a slow whistle. "Wow. I can't even imagine that."

He asked a few more questions before Darren said he needed to head down to the storerooms to help Mr. Crepsley. So, leaving Lucas to get settled and adjust, Darren went down to assist Mr. Crepsley in the storerooms.

JarrFam!15


End file.
